


When The Chips Are Down

by Whiskey_With_Patron



Series: Gays, Gangs, and Accidental Adoption [1]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Autistic Anxiety | Virgil Sanders, Autistic Deceit | Janus Sanders, Autistic Meltdown, Car Chases, Gang Violence, Gen, Guns, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Janus is trying his best, Kidnapping, Multi, Organized Crime, Panic Attacks, Past Abuse, Patton is a good Dad, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, autistic shutdown, no beta readers we die like men, yes i'm projecting my autism onto Virgil and Janus what about it
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-15
Updated: 2021-03-04
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:07:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 47
Words: 156,350
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25288051
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Whiskey_With_Patron/pseuds/Whiskey_With_Patron
Summary: When Patton Hart has to go on the run, he leaves his three kids in the hands of an old friend who owes him a favour. All he hopes is that he can avoid the wrath of a gang he pissed off over a decade ago, and to do that, he'll need some help from a few interesting acquaintances he meets along the way.Virgil Hart has never adjusted well to big changes. Now that his dad has dropped him and his little brothers on the doorstep of a dangerous crime empire, his entire world flips upside-down.Janus Chimera never wanted kids. But when an old friend cashes in a favour and asks him to take care of a few children, he just can't refuse.
Relationships: Anxiety Character | Andy Sanders/Prince Character | Pryce Sanders, Deceit | Janus Sanders/Logic | Logan Sanders, Morality | Patton Sanders/Sleep | Remy Sanders
Series: Gays, Gangs, and Accidental Adoption [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2043589
Comments: 541
Kudos: 348





	1. My Hot Friend Whisks Me Away On A Motorcycle

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [I Got Outsmarted by a Thirteen-Year-Old](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24512599) by [AltruisticSkittles](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AltruisticSkittles/pseuds/AltruisticSkittles). 



> this was originally inspired by the series Totally Not Despicable Dee by AltruisticSkittles. my brain fixated on Janus being the leader of a crime organization and then my creativity fucking ran with the idea. this isn't meant to take place in the same universe as their series, i just thought crime boss Janus was a blessed idea and now that i've accidentally written a lot of chapters already, i decided i had to publish this already. PLEASE read the series by AltruisticSkittles, it's so good and i love it with all my heart and soul
> 
> WARNING!!! this fic contains frequent mentions and/or appearances of: guns, violence, deaths, food (both in the form of full meals and snacks), smoking, swearing, anxiety attacks, autistic shutdowns and meltdowns, various weapons other than guns (such as knives), PTSD, possible future mentions of minor self harm (i won't go in depth but it will be mentioned and/or present), intrusive thoughts, PTSD flashbacks, kidnapping (and by extension, non-consensual drug use) and extreme injuries. many of these things will be present more than others, but PLEASE keep all of this in mind when you read! specific content warnings will be posted at the beginning of each chapter that needs it, and if i miss any, let me know and i'll add a warning!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Patton has to make a difficult decision. Virgil and his brothers get stuck in the aftermath.

Patton stared out at the neighborhood with a content smile. He took a sip of his coffee and watched as a couple kids ran past the mailman on their way to school, their too big backpacks bouncing with every step. Today was going to be a lovely day, it seemed. Even the weather was perfect. The sun cast a warm glow on the street, and a gentle breeze blew across the porch, ruffling Patton’s hair.

The mailman waved as he walked up to Patton’s house. “Hey, Mr. Hart! How are the kids?”

Patton gave him a wide smile. “They’re doing just fine. Got anything for us?”

“Sure do.” The mailman dug through his bag and pulled out a bunch of envelopes. He jogged up the steps to the porch and held them out.

Patton took the envelopes. “Thank you. Have a swell day!”

“You too!” The mailman hopped down the steps and strolled down the sidewalk to his next stop, whistling a jaunty tune.

Patton set his coffee mug on the porch railing and sorted through the mail. It all looked pretty normal—there was something from the bank, an envelope from Patton’s mother addressed to Roman and Remus that he assumed was a belated birthday card, another envelope from Patton’s sister that might have been a postcard from her vacation... none of it seemed out of the ordinary.

That is, until he came across one envelope without a return address. His own address was scribbled on the paper in unfamiliar handwriting done in orange ink. He furrowed his brow in mild confusion. It could have just been any old letter that accidentally ended up mixed in with his mail, but the sight of the orange ink made his stomach turn with dread.

He set the other letters on the railing next to his mug and dug his thumb under the flap of the envelope. The flap ripped when he tried to open it, and he struggled to open it the rest of the way, tearing it open in tiny rips along the top of the envelope.

He finally got it open and tugged out a folded up piece of paper. Tossing the half ruined envelope to the porch with one hand, he flipped the paper open and read the words written inside in orange ink.

_Found you._

Patton’s heart leaped into his throat. He whipped his head up, scanning the street for anyone who might be watching him. No. No, not now. He wasn’t fully prepared!

He let the letter flutter to the porch and turned on his heel. He made it to the door in two quick strides. He yanked it open and almost slammed it shut behind him. As an afterthought, he turned the lock to make sure no one could burst in before he was ready.

Patton leaned against the door, mind racing. He had to leave as soon as possible. He couldn’t take the kids—that would be too dangerous. But leaving them alone in the house was even worse, especially now that his address had been found. He needed someone to take care of them, someone strong and powerful enough to protect them, kind enough to take them in, but not too involved in the community that everyone would know where they were.

Or maybe... maybe they didn’t have to be _willing_ to take in his kids. Maybe they just needed to owe him a favour.

He heaved a sigh. He told himself he would never cash in that favour, but he needed someone to take in Virgil, Roman, and Remus.

He made a beeline for the kitchen and rummaged through the drawers until he found a stack of paper and some envelopes. In hindsight, maybe it would have been best to already have these letters written beforehand in case of an emergency, but letters written in the past wouldn’t explain his current situation. He wrote one for Virgil, one for Remus, one for Roman, one for Remy (just in case), and one final letter for the person he most needed on his side. It took a bit longer than he had originally anticipated, but saying goodbye to Virgil and the twins through written words rather than in person proved to be more difficult than he thought it would be. He just had to hold out hope that he wouldn’t die within the near future.

In the middle of writing Remus’ letter, Patton dialed Remy’s number and held his phone up to his ear. It rang only once before Remy answered.

“What?” Remy’s voice was hoarse. He must have just woken up. Normally, he would still be sleeping, but he always answered Patton’s calls.

“I need out of the city,” Patton said, signing his name at the bottom of the letter. “As soon as possible.”

Remy yawned on the other line. “Sure thing, babe, I got you.” A pause. “Why?”

“They found me.”

Silence.

“I’ll be over in ten.”

Remy hung up. Patton shot a text to the kids’ tutor telling him that lessons were cancelled for the day. He added that someone would be in contact to let him know when and where lessons would pick back up. In one last text, he sent a smiley face and a little heart to lighten the tone.

He finally started on the letter to _him_. He wasn’t sure exactly what to say or how to phrase anything. What was there to say?

He pressed his pen to the paper and wrote.

Patton signed his name and stared down at the words he’d scribbled, hoping they were good enough. He grabbed another piece of paper and wrote down a couple things about each of the kids that might help him take care of them better, along with the phone numbers of their tutor, doctor, dentist, drama instructor—pretty much any important person Patton might need him to know if he was going to be taking care of kids. He placed the paper and the letter together in one envelope before tucking the rest of the letters into their own envelopes. On the front of each, he wrote the name of the person they were for.

Someone knocked on the door. Patton almost jumped out of his seat at the sound, heart pounding in his chest. Had they come for him already? How long did he have to get him and the kids out of the house?

“Relax, it’s just me,” Remy’s voice called.

Patton breathed a sigh of relief. He walked up to the door, and after a peek through the peephole, he unlocked the door and opened it a crack. Remy stood on the porch, aviator sunglasses perched on top of his head, one hand shoved in the pocket of his leather jacket and the other holding a Starbucks iced capp.

“Hey girl,” Remy said. “Got my bike ready. Change out of your pj’s and let’s hit the road.”

Patton opened the door to let Remy in. “Thanks for coming. How’d you have time to hit up Starbucks before you got here?”

Remy shrugged. “I have my ways.”

Patton grabbed Remy’s letter and walked to his room. “Lock the door behind you,” he said.

“Yeah, I got it. This ain’t my first rodeo, honey.”

Patton kicked his bedroom door shut behind him. He quickly changed out of his flannel cat pyjamas and put on some proper clothes. As horribly tempted as he was to put on his normal polo shirt and khakis, he knew they would be too recognizable. Instead, he tugged on a pair of jeans he hadn’t worn in ages, along with a plain t-shirt. He couldn’t resist putting his cat hoodie on over top, and lastly, he dug a black denim jacket out of his closet and put it on over that. Remy always said it was a crime to double denim, but he hoped that rule didn’t apply with black denim. Besides, denim was the hardest fabric to cut through. It would make him harder to stab if someone came at him with a knife.

He grabbed a backpack out from under his bed, already stocked with emergency supplies—a couple changes of clothing, an untraceable flip phone, a few water bottles, some snacks, an emergency stash of money, and a few other little things that he couldn’t bear to leave behind. Remy’s letter was added to the stash.

He straightened his glasses and took a deep breath to calm his nerves. He knew this day might come, but he still didn’t feel ready to run away.

However, he opened his door and stepped out. The rest of the letters waited for him on the table, and he quickly swept them into his hands. He tiptoed over to the door to the twins’ room. He wanted to go in and see them one last time before he left, but it took very little to wake them. He didn’t want them to see him leave. Instead, he knelt and slipped the letters under the door. He hoped they would suffice as a proper goodbye.

He stood and passed by Remy on his way to the stairs. He jogged down, clutching Virgil’s letter close to his chest. He hoped Virgil would be able to hold his own without Patton.

Patton crept across the downstairs living room towards Virgil’s room. He slowly turned the knob and pushed it open. The soft violet light from Virgil’s lamp was still on. He still refused to sleep in the dark.

Patton stepped into the room. Virgil’s purple hair was a mess against his white pillowcase. His headphones must have slipped off in the night, because they hung off the bed by their cord. Virgil’s arms were wrapped around the cat plushie Patton had bought for him years ago, and his eyes were closed. He never used to sleep easily, but after he grew used to being in a safe house, he was snoring almost as soon as his head hit the pillow. It often took at least five alarms for him to finally wake up.

Patton tiptoed to Virgil’s nightstand. He placed the last two envelopes below the purple lamp so Virgil would see them as soon as he woke up. Patton’s heart ached at the thought of leaving Virgil and the twins, but he had to. It was the safest option for everyone.

He brushed Virgil’s bangs aside and planted a light kiss on his forehead. “See ya, kiddo,” he whispered.

Patton turned and left the room. He tried to keep quiet as he hopped up the stairs and emerged in the dining room. He shouldered his backpack and looked Remy in the eyes. “Ready,” he said.

Remy was already halfway out the door when he spoke. “Lets hit the road, babe.”

Patton followed after him. He gave one last longing glance at the house before he shut the door. It looked like his life was about take a harsh turn.

When he turned to the street, Remy was already on his motorbike, sunglasses over his eyes. “Come on, girl, we don’t know how much time you’ve got.”

Patton crossed his arms. “Did you at least bring helmets?”

Remy took off his sunglasses and rolled his eyes. “Yeah.” He hung his glasses on the collar of his shirt and leaned down. When he straightened, he held two helmets in his hand. “You get the one with the cat sticker on it.”

Patton took the offered helmet. He didn’t often go riding with Remy, and for good reason. The man was a maniac behind the handles of a motorbike. However, Patton replaced his glasses with the helmet and sat behind Remy. He felt unsafe without a seatbelt to keep him in place. He wrapped his arms around Remy’s waist as a substitute. Hopefully, that would be enough to keep him from flying off the back of the bike.

Remy shoved his own helmet on. Patton could hear the grin in his voice when he spoke next.

“Hold on, bitch. We’re going for a ride.”

*******

Virgil couldn’t believe his eyes.

He’d seen the two letters as soon as he woke up, and he knew the day had come that Dad had to leave. Dad had mentioned it multiple times before, but Virgil never thought it would actually happen.

Virgil scanned the letter. It didn’t explain much. The most Virgil could glean from it was that Dad had gotten in trouble with some dangerous people and he had to run away. He was going to get someone else to take care of him and the twins. Virgil reread the first part of the letter four times before it officially sank in.

He didn’t read past the short explanation about Dad’s departure and the instructions he had left him. Virgil didn’t know if his emotions could handle being punched with the heartfelt goodbye Dad no doubt wrote in the final two thirds of the letter. Dad always poured his heart into everything when it came to his kids. Virgil would deal with the emotions later. For now, he had to follow his dad’s instructions.

Virgil folded up the letter and placed it back in its envelope. First thing he needed to do: pack up some supplies and get ready to leave.

He pulled on a pair of jeans and his patched-up sweater before he grabbed his old backpack off the floor. Sorting through his things proved to be difficult, but there were some things he needed to take with him. His fidget cube, his headphones, the My Chemical Romance shirt Patton had bought him, and the cat plushie Patton had given him, which Roman had named Ms. Snuffles, all went into his bag. He added in a few more clothes, just to help fill up the bag.

Then he turned to his dresser, where his large collection of dolls stood. His heart broke knowing he couldn’t take all of them, but he just hoped the house wouldn’t get robbed or raided while they were gone. Oddly enough, choosing one doll to take with him wasn’t hard. He snatched up the Monster High Draculaura doll in the centre of the mess, stand and all. It was the first one he ever got, and he wasn’t going to leave her behind, even though his customized Lagoona doll had been much more expensive. He grabbed Draculaura’s tiny pink brush off the dresser and tucked it into the bag along with her.

He zipped up the bag and turned to his bedroom door. He felt like he was forgetting something. He went through a mental checklist.

Right. He grabbed his phone and the charger from his nightstand and shoved them in his pocket that didn’t have the letter in it. He scanned his nightstand for anything else of importance, and spotted his wallet next to his black chewable pendant that was shaped like a bat. He grabbed both, tucking the wallet in his pocket and draping the necklace over his head.

Now he was ready.

Virgil grabbed the other letter off his nightstand and made his way upstairs. His stomach turned with anxiety. He didn’t realize he was chewing on his necklace until he knocked on the door to the twins’ room.

He pushed it open without waiting for an answer. Roman and Remus sat on the bottom bed of their bunk bed, two ripped envelopes on the floor at their feet. They each held a piece of paper in their hands. They both looked up at Virgil with identical distraught expressions on their faces. Tears glimmered in their dark eyes.

Virgil sighed. He knew he’d have to play the emotionally stable one for this situation.

He nodded towards the door. “Pack up. We have to go.”

He left the room and returned to the kitchen to make them all a quick breakfast, and maybe a lunch to eat on the go as well. He set the other letter down on the counter. He couldn’t help but sneak a couple wary glances at it as he grabbed the cereal from the pantry.

He knew he had to take himself and the twins to this person who was supposed to take care of them. He just had one question.

Who the hell was Janus?


	2. My Bodyguard Paints My Nails

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything is going well for Janus Chimera and his closest friend, D.W. Patton and Remy are determined to get away from the city and stay alive, but it might be difficult to do so when Remy drives like a maniac.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i wasn't expecting to get so many hits and kudos just in the first day that i posted the first chapter?? what the heck??? granted, i've only ever written fics for one much smaller fandom, so it might not actually be a lot, but still, it's a lot to me! it took weeks for my first chaptered fic to get over twenty kudos!!! anyone who's reading this right now, thank you SO MUCH just for clicking on this fic, you have no idea how much i appreciate it <3
> 
> on another note, i still don't really know how often i'm going to update this, considering i have another fic for another fandom i have to keep an eye on. i'll just play it by ear and update whenever i feel like i should.

“Just smash his kneecaps and he’ll talk.”

The voice on the other end of the line sighed. “Sir, we did. He’s just screaming into the gag.”

Janus raised an eyebrow. “Well no wonder he’s not talking. He’s gagged.”

“We asked him if he would tell us anything, but he kept shaking his head.”

Janus rolled his eyes. “He can’t tell you anything if he’s gagged. Remove the gag and let him speak.”

“We’re in the middle of an alleyway,” the other voice said. “We don’t want him to scream.”

D.W. looked up from where she was sitting in front of Janus, painting his nails with black polish. She raised an eyebrow at the conversation. Janus just gave her an exasperated look. D.W. would have done a much better job if she had been sent out to do the same thing.

“Why are you doing this in an alley?” Janus scoffed. “We have abandoned warehouses and bunkers for this specific purpose.”

“We couldn’t get a reservation, all our interrogation centres are booked solid.”

D.W. snorted as she dipped the brush into the bottle of nail polish. “Newbie on his first task?”

“What gave it away?” Janus whispered. “The total incompetence and stupidity?”

D.W. smirked at the remark. “Just send someone else out to do it. If the idiot can’t figure out how to do shit on his own, we shouldn’t have him.”

“Fair point,” Janus mused. He turned back to the phone. “Don’t act. I’m sending someone else out to finish the job. If the guy tells you where the money is in the meantime, let the next agent know.”

“Yes sir.”

Janus hung up and heaved a laborious sigh. “Good Lord, why can’t people figure out how to do their jobs?”

“Dunno.” D.W. twisted the cap back onto the bottle of polish. “Other hand.”

Janus raised an eyebrow at her. D.W. huffed. “Oh come on. You think I’m going to care about your weird blotchy skin thing?”

“Calling it weird doesn’t help.”

D.W. held out her hand. Janus rolled his eyes, but he switched his phone to his right hand. He bit the glove of his left hand and tugged it off with his teeth. He placed his left hand on her palm. She didn’t even seem to notice the pale splotches in his dark brown skin, unlike everyone else did when they saw the left half of his face. D.W. was a good friend in the regard that she didn’t judge him. Well, she judged him _very_ much, but not on things he couldn’t change. He judged her as well. It was a mutual judgemental friendship.

Janus took the glove from his mouth with his right hand and shot a text to one of his much more competent agents. D.W. grabbed a new bottle of nail polish and unscrewed the cap. “Can I switch up the colours?”

Janus glanced at his right hand and its black nails. “I would prefer my hands be symmetrical, if that’s alright.”

“They’re not anyway,” D.W. said, but she twisted the cap back on and grabbed the black polish again. “So,” she began as she painted a layer of black on the nail of his thumb, “got any jobs for today?”

Janus set down his phone and picked up a bottle of nail polish. He turned it between his fingers as he went through the schedule’s schedule in his mind. “Well, we’ve got a couple hitmen locked onto a cop in San Francisco, so I’m waiting to hear back from them. Along with that, we’ve been hired to take out a politician running for governor of New Jersey, so we’ll need to get someone out there. There are also a few people who haven’t paid back their debts, so we could do some kidnapping tonight if we’re feeling up for it. Are you feeling up for some kidnapping?”

“When am I not?” D.W. carefully painted the rest of Janus’ nails. “You want to help? It’s been a while since you’ve been out on the field.”

Janus considered it as he twisted the nail polish bottle cap off and on again with one hand. “I don’t know. That can get loud, and—”

“You get overwhelmed,” D.W. finished as she sat back in her chair. “Yeah, I got you.”

Janus examined his nails. Not a single stray drop of polish graced the skin on his fingers. “Thank you for the nails, Dorothy.”

D.W. didn’t even wince at the use of her real name. “No prob. You have to braid my hair later, though.”

“Dear, you know I don’t know how to braid hair.”

“Which is why I’m teaching you, dumbass. These manicures aren’t free. I’m your bodyguard, and nowhere in the job description did it say I had to paint your nails. I should be getting paid extra for this.”

Janus shrugged. “Then I’ll pay you.”

“By styling my hair, yeah. Come on, this teenage girl sleepover stuff has to be mutual. You braid my hair, I paint your nails, we gossip about idiots we have to work with and talk about cute boys.”

Janus gave a mock sigh. “Fine. If you insist. Only for you.”

D.W. nodded. “Good. About time you learned how to do something useful.”

Janus picked up his glove and gently swatted her on the arm with it. “Oh, shut up.”

D.W. grabbed a nail file off Janus’ desk and started filing her nails. “Let me know when that shit’s dry so I can do another coat.”

Janus drummed his fingers on the desk and let his thoughts wander. Being the leader of an underground crime ring certainly had its downfalls, but the pros outweighed the cons. At least he had D.W. there to help keep him sane. He didn’t know where he’d be without her.

“Hey,” D.W. said, interrupting his thoughts. “Is there anyone on our shit list we still haven’t tracked down?”

“Oh, I’m sure there are plenty,” Janus said. “I’ll go through our records and see if I can find anyone for you to beat the shit out of later.”

“Nice.”

*******

Patton decided he didn’t like motorcycles.

He kept his arms tight around Remy, praying he wouldn’t fall off. Remy drove like an absolute madman. Patton couldn’t see the speedometer, but he was sure they were going at least thirty kilometers over the speed limit. They passed cars when they weren’t supposed to, and they even drove on the shoulder of the road to move past a minivan! This was definitely not safe! It was a wonder they hadn’t gotten pulled over by now. Patton didn’t know why Virgil always enjoyed going for rides with Remy. It was terrifying! If Patton knew _exactly_ how dangerous Remy was on a motorcycle, he never would have allowed Remy to drive the twins to drama practice when Patton couldn’t.

The only upside to Remy’s dangerous driving was that anyone in a car certainly couldn’t do the same. If anyone was trailing the two of them out of the city, Remy’s maniacal maneuvers surely would have thrown them off by now.

Patton found his thoughts wandering to Virgil and the twins, but he pushed his sadness aside. He couldn’t afford to regret his decision to leave them behind. He just needed to get out of the city for the sake of his kids. They would be safer without him. And if Janus was true to his word, he would keep them safe while Patton was gone. Everything was going to be fine.

Patton spotted a gas station in the near distance. They began to slow down, much to Patton’s relief. Remy pulled over to the shoulder of the road as they closed in on the turnoff. Patton shot a wary glance behind them to make sure no one was following them. There wasn’t a single car visible on the surrounding highway.

Remy slowed down enough to turn to the gas station, which felt as fast as walking compared to the speed they’d just been zooming along at. They pulled into a parking spot at the side of the building. Patton let out a relieved sigh as Remy parked the motorcycle.

Remy pulled off his helmet and shook his head. His dark hair stuck up at strange angles, and he ran a hand through it in an attempt to fix it. “I’m going to get some coffee,” he said. “You want anything?”

Patton tugged on his own helmet. “Uh, hang on, I’ll give you some money to buy me a chocolate bar.”

“Babe, I have my own cash. Don’t worry about it. Just stay here and watch the bike.” He dug into his pocket. “Also...” He dug something out of his pocket and tossed it to Patton. “Just in case.”

Patton fumbled with it and it almost fell to the pavement. He managed not to drop it, and he stared down at the thing Remy had thrown him. It was a pocket knife.

Remy held up his hand in a peace sign over his shoulder as he walked towards the door of the building. “Stay safe, hon.”

Patton set his helmet on the seat next to Remy’s and unhooked his glasses from his shirt collar. He kicked his legs back and forth as he waited for Remy to return. This whole situation was scary, but he tried to keep his fear out of his mind. He just needed to be cautious, not panicky. Any vehicle that pulled into the station could have been following them. He gave everyone who passed by him a quick once over to make sure they weren’t going to come after him.

The door swung open and Remy strolled out, a coffee cup in each hand and a plastic bag hanging from his arm. “Hey girl, I bought snacks!” He held out one of the cups to Patton. “And I got you some hot chocolate. Thought you could use something to calm you down.”

Patton took the offered cup. “I’ll pay you back.”

Remy grabbed the helmets and set them on the ground next to the motorbike. “Babe, don’t worry. I can afford to buy a few snacks for the road. It’s no big deal.” He took a sip of his coffee and sat on the bike seat next to Patton. “So, you already got a plan?”

Patton shrugged. “I don’t really know. I didn’t think too far ahead.”

Remy lowered his coffee cup. “It’s alright girl. I’ll get shit sorted out. First thing, we gotta get to another city so we can’t be found. We’re already on our way there. I can make a call to my friend Andy who can get us some fake documents in case we need to leave the country—”

“We are _not_ leaving the country!” Patton squeaked. Leaving his kids alone in a big city was bad enough. Leaving the country entirely was out of the question!

“I said just in case, babe, don’t worry,” Remy said. He sipped his coffee. “Anyway, Andy can also get us a bank card under a different name in case we need cash, and she can get us some fake IDs.”

“Why would we need fake IDs?”

“You never know when that could come in handy. She’s got some connections that can get us into a hotel to stay in for the night, under a different pair of names of course. Can’t be too cautious there. Then we lay low until they either give up trying to find you or we get enough money to hire an assassin to take them out.”

“I don’t want anyone dead!” Patton blurted. A mother walked past them with her daughter and shot Patton a strange look. Patton’s face flushed with embarrassment as the woman guided her daughter away from the two of them. He needed to be a little more quiet.

“Well, they sure want you dead,” Remy scoffed. “Couldn’t hurt to take them out before they take you out.”

Patton paused just before he was about to take a sip of his hot chocolate. “You do realize you’re talking about a highly dangerous, violent group of hundreds of people who are all trained in combat to rival the military, right?”

Remy blinked. “You have a point.” He slung the plastic bag over his shoulder. “We’ll figure things out. Right now, just focus on drinking your chocolate and we’ll bounce as soon as I’m done my coffee. Don’t worry about it, hon.”

Patton sighed. “I’m more worried about the kids than myself. I don’t know if he’s going to do a good job of caring for them.”

Remy shrugged. “I’m sure they’ll be fine. I mean, how bad at parenting could the leader of an underground crime ring be?”


	3. I Almost Have A Panic Attack In A Starbucks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Virgil and his brothers are officially on the run. Virgil is paranoid and doesn't know if he can handle the stress.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me??? projecting my sensory overload onto Janus??? it's more likely than you think
> 
> that being said, there is a minor autistic shutdown that doesn't last long. Janus just gets mildly overwhelmed due to sensory overload, and what he's experiencing is usually what i experience during sensory overload. not all autistic people experience sensory overload the same way, so keep that in mind! if you'd like to skip over the minor shutdown, you can read Virgil's beginning section, then go straight to the next break in the chapter to skip Janus' section.

Virgil held tight to Roman and Remus’ hands as they walked down the driveway from the house. He had locked all the doors and windows before they left. It had taken a lot to get the twins to decide what to take with them and what to leave behind, so it had taken a little longer than Virgil hoped to get out of the house. While they were figuring their stuff out, Virgil had read over Dad’s instructions multiple times until almost every word was engraved in his mind. He knew where they had to go, who he had to talk to, and what he had to say. He’d clamped his headphones over his ears so he didn’t get overwhelmed and it was easier to focus on his surroundings. He needed to keep a level head.

He heard Roman say something. Virgil let go of Remus to move one side of his headphones. “What was that?”

“Is Dad going to be back soon?” Roman asked. He stared up at Virgil with wide, pleading eyes. He could always make the cutest puppy dog eyes. Virgil blamed it on the drama lessons.

“I don’t know,” Virgil answered. “But we will see him again.”

“Can you text him?” Remus asked. He paused in their walking to kick a pebble across the sidewalk.

“No, he said not to in his note,” Virgil said. “Sorry Ree.”

Remus scowled and kicked a bigger rock into the street. His hair was still messy. He must not have taken the time to brush it. Remus’ sadness over Dad’s disappearance seemed to have turned to anger and frustration, as was often the case for him. Roman, however, was still pouting with tears in his eyes. He held Virgil’s hand with an iron grip and didn’t let go even as he almost tripped over his own feet.

“Where are we going?” Roman asked. He wiped his face with his sleeve, leaving behind smudged tear tracks.

“We’re going to see someone who will take care of us until Dad comes back,” Virgil said. “It’s like... having a babysitter, but for an unknown amount of time. We might be there for a few days, maybe... maybe even a few months. But Dad will come back. We just have to adjust until he does.”

“What about drama practice?” Roman squeaked. Of course he’d be worried about missing drama club. It was the only thing he and Remus got to do at the public school. He had friends there, and Roman loved socializing with other kids.

“You might have to miss it for today, buddy,” Virgil said. He kept his head on a swivel as they rounded a corner onto another street. “Don’t worry, you can still go on Wednesday. I hope.”

Roman pouted harder and lowered his head. Virgil hated to burst Roman’s bubble, but he wasn’t about to lie to him. If Virgil got Roman’s hopes up and it turned out he couldn’t go to drama practice on Wednesday, it would crush him.

Virgil put his headphones back on properly and gazed longingly at the kids milling about outside the high school. He had never wanted to go to public school before, but right now, he would give almost anything to be one of those kids. At least they didn’t have to worry about being babysat by a shady guy who ran some small bank.

Yeah, Virgil had done a quick Google search for people named Janus Chimera before they left the house. Turns out that the guy Dad wanted Virgil to speak to ran a chain of banks around the southern end of the U.S. The nearest one was uptown, which was exactly where Dad told him to go. It would take maybe an hour or so to walk there. Remus’ leg would probably start hurting at some point during the walk. They would have to take breaks so he wouldn’t have to push himself to keep walking, or Virgil could try to carry him. It would be best if they kept moving. Virgil didn’t want to stay out in the open for too long.

He took a deep breath as they passed by the school. Everything would be fine. He just had to follow Dad’s instructions, and nothing would go wrong.

*******

Janus leaned back in his seat and glared at his computer. There were too many things to deal with today. There were people who had failed to pay off their debts, others who were begging Janus and his employees to smuggle them over a border, at least a dozen who had paid for a hitman, and there were drugs and weapons to be dealt and transported. Janus just couldn’t keep track of it all. He’d been leaving voicemails and sending emails all morning as soon as D.W. left his office.

He found himself staring blankly at an unfinished email he was writing to one of the organization’s hitmen. Words failed him at the moment. There were too many things to do. He didn’t know what to prioritize. The hitmen? The drug trafficking? The weapons trafficking? Smuggling paying customers over the borders of the U.S.? Kidnapping friends and relatives of those who hadn’t paid off their loans to hold them ransom? Directly interrogating those who still needed to repay him?

The electric humming of the computer dragged his attention away from the task at hand. He rested his chin on his hands and listened to it whir.

He shook his head. He needed to finish this email at least. He started typing, but the sound of the keys clacking distracted him and he found himself randomly pressing letters just to spam the backspace button so he could hear the keys. The screen glared at him, bright enough to almost hurt his eyes. His gaze flickered to all the dozens of things that littered his desk. His neon sticky notes, his phone, his pencil holder, the pens he never bothered to put in the pencil holder, the mouse pad with the photo of a snake on it...

He grunted in displeasure and leaned back. There were too many things going on. He couldn’t focus on just one.

Someone knocked on the door and he almost jumped out of his seat. The sound was as loud as a gunshot in his ears. Fucking hell, did someone really have to add another distraction to all the things already going on in his head?

“It’s me,” D.W.’s voice said. “Can I come in?”

Janus wanted to respond, but he just couldn’t force words out of his mouth. Instead, he hit his palm on the top of his desk twice to signal a “yes”.

The door opened and D.W. poked her head into the room. “Heya,” she said quietly. “I can come back later if you’re having issues.”

Janus motioned for her to come in. D.W. stepped through the door and shut it behind her. “It’s almost lunch time,” she said. “You wanna grab something to eat?”

Janus gestured vaguely to his screen, hoping it would convey what he wanted to say: “I have too many things to do, and I need to accomplish at least one thing before I can take a break or I’ll just feel bad about procrastinating.”

Luckily, D.W. had been around him long enough to understand. “I can help you finish what you’re doing, and then you’re taking a break.”

Janus just nodded. It couldn’t hurt to accept some help.

D.W. walked to his side of the desk. He rolled his chair aside to give her some room. She leaned on the desk and looked at the screen. She started typing, and Janus just listened to her nails clacking on the keys and let himself zone out. It was frustrating that he couldn’t even make himself write one more god damn email, but some days were just... like this.

“Hey Jan? You might wanna see this.”

Janus looked up at the too bright screen. D.W. must have finished and sent the email he’d been working on, because she’d ended up going through his inbox and clicking on something. On screen was an email. The text was all orange, which was a little more difficult to read on the white screen.

“The topic says ‘stop moving in’,” D.W. said. “The rest of it is just vaguely threatening junk about us having people stationed downtown.”

Janus sighed. Chimera was already all over the southern half of the United States, and this shitty rival gang was hung up about them being on the other half of the city? It was ridiculous.

However, he didn’t know just how far Wrath’s Blade had stretched across the country. All he knew was that they were focused on drug dealing and smuggling, which was a business Janus was well versed in. It was no wonder they felt threatened by Janus’ agents being present in that area. He would have stayed out of it completely, but Wrath’s Blade was also infamous for their human trafficking, and ever since Janus had started keeping tabs on Wrath’s possible targets to ensure their safety, he’d made a very powerful enemy. Janus was many things, but he was not a person who tolerated immoral buying and selling of innocent people.

The new important focus in Janus’ attention brought his senses down a little from their previously sensitive state. “We’ll have to be more covert,” he managed to whisper as he scanned the screen.

“We’re staying downtown?” D.W. asked.

Janus nodded. “Lie to them.”

D.W. started typing up a response. Janus watched letters appear on screen as her fingers danced across the keys. Once she had written out a full reply, she glanced at Janus to see if he approved of what she wrote. He nodded and she clicked send.

D.W. straightened and walked to the door. “I’ll run over to Starbucks and grab you a hot chocolate. We can go for a walk later if you’re feeling better.”

Janus nodded again. D.W. shut the door behind her when she left.

Janus took a deep breath, trying to focus on one task. Just one more email. He would write one last email, and then he’d take a break.

*******

Virgil struggled under Remus’ weight as he walked. Remus’ leg had started to hurt about fifteen minutes into the walk, but he was too stubborn to take a break, so Virgil had offered to carry him. He had to admit, carrying an eleven-year-old was a little more difficult than he thought it would be, but he didn’t complain. They just needed to keep moving. He’d also taken off his headphones so he could hear if either of the twins needed anything, but it was difficult to block out all the sounds around them without his headphones. As soon as Remus was good to walk on his own again, Virgil would put them back on.

Roman held onto Virgil’s backpack as they continued down the sidewalk. “Virge?” he muttered. “What if this guy is a jerk? What if he doesn’t even take care of us?”

“Then I’ll take care of you,” Virgil said. He shifted Remus on his hip.

“Then who will take care of you?” Roman asked.

“I can take care of myself.”

Remus snorted. “Yeah, cuz you’re old.”

Roman grinned and poked Virgil’s arm. “Ha. You’re old.”

Virgil chose not to respond. He scanned the people around them on the street. No one looked familiar, but that didn’t mean no one was following them. He kept an eye out for any familiar clothing, hairstyles, tattoos, anything that might have indicated that someone was tailing them. He’d been followed a few times in his life. It was second nature to look out for any possible danger.

His gaze caught on a man walking along the other side of the street. He wore a denim jacket, which wasn’t exactly uncommon, but there was an orange patch on his arm that Virgil could only just spot from this distance. Hadn’t he seen a man a couple blocks back with a very similar jacket?

Virgil tore his gaze away so he wouldn’t look too obvious. His heart sped up as his anxiety presented him with dozens of possible outcomes to the situation, most of which involved possible kidnapping, death, or both.

He looked up at the stores along the street. He needed to go somewhere public, with lots of people, where others would be watching him.

He caught sight of a familiar sign on the street corner. A Starbucks. Perfect.

He tugged Roman towards the store. “What are we doing?” Roman asked.

“Just making a quick stop,” Virgil said. He slipped through the door as it began to close, pulling Roman after him.

Virgil’s anxiety didn’t lessen when they entered the Starbucks. There were so many people around. Any one of them could have possibly been following them. And surely they would find a fifteen-year-old and two eleven-year-olds wearing backpacks entering a store without an adult suspicious.

Virgil guided Roman over to a booth next to the one beside the door. They could see people through the window, they could see everyone who came in and out of the store, and anyone who came in wouldn’t focus on them first. It was the safest spot.

Virgil set Remus down on the seat. “You guys sit here. We’re going to take a short break. Not because of you, Ree,” Virgil added when Remus’ shoulders slumped, “just so I can... sort out my thoughts.”

Virgil slid into the opposite seat as Roman clambered up next to Remus. Virgil looked out the window to see if he could catch a glimpse of the man in the denim jacket with the patch on it. He was nowhere to be seen, but he had been on the other side of the street. Maybe he didn’t notice them slip into the Starbucks. Or maybe he wasn’t following them at all.

Virgil chewed on his bat necklace as he watched the crowd outside. He mentally took note of some people’s appearances, just to see if he could remember seeing them anywhere else. No one looked familiar.

The door swung open and Virgil shot it a sideways glance. His heart leaped into his throat. A man walked in wearing a denim jacket with an orange patch on the sleeve.

He quickly averted his eyes. This man was following them. He could get hostile if he was aware that Virgil knew he was trailing after them.

He turned his eyes to the metal napkin holder, which was shiny enough to act as a decent mirror. He watched the man walk past their booth, and while he couldn’t see the man’s eyes, the slight turn of his head towards Virgil and the twins was enough to let him know that this man was here for them, not a cup of coffee.

Virgil’s mind raced. What should he do? Order some coffee and tell the barista they were being followed? Leave the building as soon as the man’s attention was directed elsewhere? Cause a distraction and tell Roman and Remus to run?

He turned back to the window and watched the people pass by, desperately wracking his brain for any kind of plan. He watched an old lady shamble past with a younger man who might have been her son. Two women walked by, one of them pushing a stroller. A group of teenage girls piled into a small car and drove off. An expensive black car pulled up to the curb and parked in the girls’ former spot. A tall black lady in a business suit left the car and walked up to the Starbucks door.

Virgil watched as the lady entered the building. She walked with such a confident presence, it was hard to tear his eyes away from her. She was also very pretty, not that he was into women at all.

His gaze flickered to the man with the orange patched jacket. He had a phone pressed to his ear, which only worsened Virgil’s nerves. What if he was calling for backup to kidnap him and the twins? How were they supposed to get out of this one?

He went back to watching the lady in the suit. She had approached the counter and was ordering her stuff, but she kept glancing around as if she expected someone to stab her in the back. Her gaze landed on the man with the orange patch. Recognition flashed across her face, but she covered it up in less than a second. Did this lady know that man? Was she following them too?

“Remus,” Roman spoke up, “is your leg better?”

Remus scowled. “It’s never gonna be better,” he grumbled.

“But is it feeling better right now?”

Remus huffed. “Yeah, sorta. Virge, are we gonna go soon?”

Virgil shot a glance at the man with the patch and the lady in the suit. “Y—yeah. We’ll get going in a bit.”

He locked eyes with the woman in the suit. His heart pounded like a bass drum and he turned his gaze to the ground. She was going to kidnap them, wasn’t she? There was no way out of this.

“Virge, you’re breathing weird again.”

Virgil’s head snapped up to look at Roman. Both the twins were staring at him with identical expressions of concern. Virgil probably wasn’t helping them feel safe when he was on the verge of a panic attack.

“Are you okay, kid?”

Virgil jumped at the voice and looked up to see the black woman in the suit standing next to their table. Her standing so close only heightened his anxiety. She was going to take them away now, wasn’t she? She was going to kidnap them and they would never see Dad again.

She crouched next to the table so she wasn’t towering over him. “Okay kid, take deep breaths,” she said softly. “I’m not going to hurt you, just breathe with me, okay? Breathe in for four seconds, hold for seven, out for eight. Can you do that?”

Virgil wasn’t comforted much by her statement that she wasn’t going to hurt them, but he did as she instructed. Inhale, hold, exhale. Inhale, hold, exhale.

After a third deep breath, his nerves eased up just enough that he could look at the woman who approached their table. She looked concerned, but she offered him a slight smile when she saw he wasn’t quite panicking anymore.

“Are you gonna be okay?” she asked.

Virgil just nodded. This lady didn’t give off any bad vibes, but he also knew firsthand that nice people could be bad. This could be a trap.

The lady stood. She shot a glance at the man with the denim jacket and then back to Virgil. “Sorry to pry, kid,” she said quietly, “but are you being followed?”

Virgil swallowed. Roman and Remus stared at him with wide eyes, waiting for an answer.

Virgil nodded. “Is it the guy in the denim with the patch?” she asked. Virgil gave another nod.

The lady heaved a light sigh. “I’ll take care of him. You three get out of here. You’ll be safer once you’re further uptown.”

Virgil furrowed his brow in confusion as she turned and strode towards the man with the orange patch. However, he didn’t protest. He slid out of the booth and shouldered his backpack.

“Come on,” he said to Roman and Remus. “We should get going.”

The twins scurried after him. They hurried to the door and squeezed through behind an old guy in a plaid shirt. As soon as they were outside, Virgil grabbed Roman and Remus’ hands and rushed down the sidewalk, heart pounding. He didn’t know who that lady was or why she helped them, but if he ever saw her again, he owed her a favour.

It didn’t take long to disappear into the crowd of pedestrians and get out of sight of the Starbucks. Virgil finally let himself relax a little. He slowed his pace.

“Virgil?” Remus said. “Why were we being followed?”

Virgil didn’t have an answer for that. “I don’t know.”

“Who was that lady?” Roman asked.

Virgil glanced back at the direction the Starbucks had been in. “I don’t know.”


	4. My Hot Friend Stupidly Angers A Cop

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Patton find out that the gang he's running from has more higher up connections than he previously thought. Janus makes a decision to send people out to watch over some kids D.W. noticed were being followed. Virgil is painfully aware of the fact that there are now way too many people following him and his brothers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so i recently learned that wearing doc martens with blue laces means that you've killed a cop before, and knowing Remy in this story, he absolutely has. also he would look good in docs and that is a hill i will die on
> 
> also! [i do have a tumblr](https://falsehood-rising.tumblr.com/) in case anyone wants to scream about Sanders Sides with me. i'm not super active, but i check my blog periodically and reblog a lot of fics and art i like, so y'all can yell into the void with me there if you ever want to (and i hope that link works because i am bad at formatting things with HTML)

Patton kept his arms wrapped tight around Remy as they sped down the highway. He still thought it was a miracle that they hadn’t been pulled over yet.

They’d left the gas station a few minutes ago, and they must have been at least halfway to the next city over at the speed Remy was going. Patton hoped Remy would slow down at some point, but he was pretty sure that wasn’t going to happen.

As they zipped down the highway, Patton tried to distract himself from Remy’s dangerous driving. It was difficult to replace his current distressing situation with thoughts of something that wasn’t equally as distressing. There were so many things going wrong in his life right now. What was he supposed to think about? The possibility that they were being followed? The responsibility he’d put on Virgil to get him and the twins across town without dying? The possibility of Janus rejecting the kids? Everything was too awful to think about.

He decided to turn his thoughts to Remy’s plan. He had no idea who Andy was, but if she could help Patton lay low until everything blew over, he wasn’t about to complain. However, a lot of the things Remy mentioned Andy could do sounded very illegal. Patton was already in some deep shit. He didn’t need to do anything else that might land him in prison.

He tensed up when he heard the sound of a police siren behind them. Great.

Remy’s chest rose and fell in an exasperated sigh. He guided the motorbike to the side of the road and slowed to a stop. Patton had been expecting this, but he was itching to just keep driving. Staying in one place for too long wasn’t safe.

Remy parked the bike and glanced back at Patton. His voice was muffled through his helmet when he spoke. “Let me do the talking, babe.”

Patton stayed quiet and waited as a police car pulled up behind them. An officer strolled up to them and glared through her aviator sunglasses.

“Hello there, lovebirds,” she said. “Do you know how fast you were going?”

“I don’t know, officer,” Remy said, “how fast was I going?”

Patton sighed inwardly at Remy’s choice of words. Why had Remy insisted that he do the talking when he chose to respond to a cop with sass?

The cop raised an eyebrow. “You were going a hundred and forty kilometres per hour. That’s pretty damn fast.”

Remy shrugged. “Sorry ma’am, I wasn’t paying attention to the speed. You see, me and my friend are on our way to visit my sick grandmother.”

The cop just stared at him. “Sure.”

Patton resisted the urge to scream. That was such an obvious lie! There was no way Remy could get them out of this.

The cop gave Remy a once-over, and her gaze stopped at his feet. “Nice shoes.” Her tone had gone completely cold.

Patton followed her gaze, and the urge to scream in frustration intensified. Remy was wearing his Doc Martens with the blue laces. Patton knew Remy had killed a cop or two in the past, but did he really have to display that fact with blue-laced Docs? Why couldn’t he have just worn his black laces?

Remy glanced down at his shoes, then back up at the cop. “Thanks. I picked out the shoelaces myself.” His voice was just as icy as hers. Was he _trying_ to put the final nail in their coffin?

Patton looked up at the police officer and opened his mouth to apologize for Remy’s backtalk, but his words caught in his throat when he saw the wristband on the cop’s arm. It was bright orange. A W was printed on it in black.

Oh no.

Oh, God no.

Remy must have spotted the wristband before he did. That was why he was so defensive. She must have followed them from the gas station and waited until they were out in the middle of nowhere to pull them over. She could kill them right then and there, and no one would be the wiser. She was posing as a cop, after all. No one would question it.

“I think you two should get in my car,” she said. “We’ll take a little trip down to the nearest station.”

Patton gently nudged Remy’s arm, silently trying to tell him “we need to go”. Remy nudged back in affirmation.

“Sorry, but I don’t think we need to take a ride with you,” Remy said. “We’ve got our own bike.”

“It wasn’t a suggestion, sir. Get off the bike and into the car.”

Remy and Patton did no such thing. “Hold on,” Remy said, and it took Patton a moment to realize he was talking to him.

Patton tightened his grip around Remy’s waist as Remy hit the gas. The tires squealed on the pavement as they zipped down the road, leaving the cop in the dust. “HEY! GET BACK HERE!” she shouted behind them, but they were already far ahead by the time her words reached their ears.

Patton held on as tight as he could, desperately trying not to fall off. He glanced behind them. They’d already left the cop car far behind. He could barely see it. The blue and red lights on the top of the car turned on, but there was no way she would be able to catch up with them now. Not with Remy’s wild driving.

“You ever been in a car chase before?” Remy shouted over the wind.

“No!” Patton yelled back. That was a blatant lie, but Remy didn’t need to know that.

Remy shot a glance behind them. “This is kind of a shitty one. We’ll have to cross that off your bucket list later. She’s never gonna get us.”

Patton squeaked in alarm as Remy skirted the motorbike around a pickup truck. He kind of figured he was in for some chaos when he asked Remy for help, but he didn’t think they were going to end up running from the cops.

*******

Janus swirled his hot chocolate in his cup. “You saw what now?”

D.W. sipped at her coffee. “I saw one of Wrath’s Blade’s people in Starbucks. He was trailing a teenager and two other kids.”

Janus raised an eyebrow. “And you directly interfered?”

D.W. sighed. “Come on, I had to. They’ve been targeting kids more and more lately. Don’t worry, I bribed the guy to leave them alone and tell his boss he just lost track of them.”

Janus wasn’t mad that she interfered, but he was certainly frustrated over the fact that they had just sent an email to Wrath saying they would stop butting into their business, and now they had completely disregarded that within the same day. Of course, Janus was never planning on staying out of their business, but if the man D.W. bumped into decided to tell his boss, they would be in some deep shit.

Janus sipped at his hot chocolate and leaned back in his seat. “What did the kids look like?”

“Oldest was a teenager,” D.W. answered. “Pale as shit, emo bangs, purple hair, piercings, black hoodie with purple patches. The other two were definitely twins. Probably Hispanic, no older than twelve. One wore a red shirt, the other wore green, and the one in the green had a bleached streak in his hair. All three of them had backpacks. There wasn’t a sign of any adult around who was taking care of them.”

Janus considered her words. The kids must have been running away from something and planning on not returning for a while, obviously, since they had backpacks and weren’t currently at school. They were being followed by Wrath, and were aware that they were being followed.

“They must have gotten mixed up in something they couldn’t handle,” Janus mused. “Where did you say they were headed?”

D.W. shrugged. “Not sure. They didn’t say. I told them they’d be safer uptown, so I hope they’re coming our way.”

Janus tapped his gloved fingers on the side of his cup. A group of kids running away from a bad situation was a perfect target for Wrath. They could get themselves into some big trouble.

Janus sighed, knowing he might regret this later. “Send out a couple agents to see if they can find these kids. Make sure they get to their destination safely. If Logan’s available, I’ll ask him to see if he can find and track the kids. Just make sure they don’t know they’re being followed. They must be paranoid enough with Wrath on their heels.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah. Just do it before I change my mind. I don’t want to think about the consequences this might bring.”

D.W. downed the rest of her coffee. “You’re the boss, hoss.” She tossed her empty cup in the garbage next to Janus’ desk and strode to the door.

“What does ‘hoss’ mean?” he called after her. “I’m not ‘hoss,’ I’m Janus.”

D.W. just waved and left his office. Janus turned back to his computer. He’d told himself he would take a break, and a five minute chat with D.W. was good enough. He still had so many things to do.

He set his hot chocolate on his desk, knowing full well it would go ignored and turn cold as the day went on.

*******

Virgil knew full well they were being followed.

No, not by the guy in the Starbucks with denim jacket and the orange patch on his sleeve. No, these were different people. They were sneakier, quicker, and easy to lose in a crowd. They all dressed differently, but they acted so similar that they had to be from the same group of people. He could tell they were all making an effort not to be seen, but Virgil had been followed enough that he knew exactly how to spot someone trailing him in a crowd. All these people were working together, and all of them were watching Virgil and the twins.

And that fact made Virgil extremely paranoid.

He kept his bat pendant in his mouth as he guided the twins through the streets. They had gone into a dozen different buildings in an attempt to shake off their pursuers, but nothing worked. They hid out in a library, stopped by a gym, briefly popped into a restaurant, even ran the risk of being mugged by slipping through a few alleyways, but these people were persistent. It was like they were trained for this.

Virgil ended up carrying Remus again so they wouldn’t have to stop for a break, and while that slowed them down, it was better than staying in one place for too long. Roman clutched the back of Virgil’s backpack with an iron grip as they hurried across a crosswalk.

“Virgil?” Remus muttered. “Are we going to be safe?”

Virgil wished he had a definite answer to that question. “I don’t know. Once we get to this bank and meet this Janus guy, we should be.”

Virgil glanced around and spotted a couple of familiar people in the crowd who had been trailing after them for a couple blocks now. There was no way to shake them off.

Virgil wracked his brain for some sort of plan. Was there someone he could call? He didn’t want to call the police, because they would just ask why there were three unsupervised kids not in school and wandering the streets without an adult. They couldn’t contact Dad or Remy, either.

He pulled out his phone with his free hand and pulled up Google Maps to make sure they were still on the right track. It wasn’t much longer until they reached their destination. They could either try to hold out until then or try to lose their pursuers one more time.

He caught sight of a gas station on the corner. One last attempt. He needed to get these guys off their trail.

He steered Roman towards the gas station. “We’re just gonna make one more stop.”

Roman clung tighter to Virgil’s backpack. “Okay,” he mumbled.

Virgil guided Roman in front of him. They crossed the parking lot and went straight for the door. As soon as they were inside, Virgil made a beeline for a hallway that must have led to the bathrooms. He shot a glance back at the exit before they slipped into the hallway. His gaze caught on a door at the end that read “employees only” and he prayed that it was a back exit.

He grabbed the handle and turned it. Luckily, it wasn’t locked. The door swung open and he peered through.

Inside was a storage room full of boxes. He spotted another door at the far wall beyond the boxes.

He tugged Roman through the door. “Come on.”

“Are we allowed to be in here?” Roman asked.

“Nope.” Virgil nudged the door shut behind them and skirted around a pile of boxes. If they took the back exit, that might throw off the people that were following them. Or it might not. They could only hope.

He heard the door open behind them. Virgil’s heart leaped into his throat and he pulled Roman behind a stack of boxes. He tugged Roman close to him so nothing was visible on either side of the stack. Footsteps walked into the room, and Virgil heard the faint sound of music blasting through somebody’s earbuds. He waited as the footsteps got closer, hoping that whoever came in wouldn’t find them.

The cardboard box right beside his head moved. He ducked down before the employee could spot him. They grabbed the box, and the footsteps retreated back to the door. The faint music faded, and the door swung shut.

Virgil breathed a sigh of relief. He straightened and nudged Roman towards the back door across the room. Roman bumped into a tower of boxes and they came tumbling down. Virgil yanked him out of the way as they fell. There was no sound of smashing glass, so Virgil hoped whatever was in the boxes wasn’t breakable.

They reached the door and Virgil pushed it open. They emerged behind the gas station in a short alley between buildings. Virgil glanced back and forth down the alley. No one was there. Perfect.

He hefted Remus on his hip and gripped Roman’s hand tighter. There didn’t seem to be a sign of anyone around them. Hopefully, they’d managed to throw off their pursuers.

Virgil ran down the alley, towing Roman after him.


	5. I Break Into A Bank With My Eleven Year Old Brothers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Virgil, Roman, and Remus finally reach their destination.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i still can't believe people are ENJOYING this fic, y'all are so sweet 💖💖💖💖💖💖

“We lost the kids.”

Janus raised an eyebrow at the agent in front of his desk. “Come again?”

“The kids D.W. sent us after, the ones who were running away from Wrath. We lost them.” The agent stayed near the door with their hands behind their back. They kept their gaze on anything but Janus’ face.

Janus stared at the agent. “Where did you last see them?”

“A gas station a few streets down. We saw them go in, but they never came out.”

Janus heaved an exasperated sigh. “Did you ever consider... that they may have gone through a back door?”

“We did!” the agent spluttered, meeting Janus’ eyes for the first time. They cleared their throat and looked down again. “We followed them inside, but we couldn’t find them, and by the time we got out to check the back exit, they were nowhere in sight. They were too fast for us to keep track of. It was a trial trying to keep them in their sights. They knew they were being followed.”

Janus rolled his eyes. This was what he got for sending a few amateurs out to follow someone, but the rest of his more competent workers were busy doing more important things. Keeping track of a few kids wasn’t his priority.

“It’s no matter,” Janus sighed. “I wasn’t expecting you to even be able to follow them for as long as you did, anyway. Just take this as a learning experience.” He mentally sifted through his list of things he still needed to get done. “There are a few agents getting ready to leave for the U.S./Mexico border who could use some help. D.W. can give you the location. Just take the rest of your team and get out of my sight.”

The agent nodded and hurried through the door. It slammed shut behind them.

Janus turned back to his computer. They may have lost track of those kids, but he prayed they were okay.

Anyone on the run from Wrath’s Blade would need all the prayers they could get.

*******

Virgil couldn’t believe their luck.

He glanced about every few seconds to make sure they’d successfully thrown off the people who were following them, and so far, it seemed like they had. He couldn’t be too cautious, however, so if anyone looked even vaguely familiar, he pulled the twins down another street or into a building to see if anyone followed them in.

Remus had gone back to walking, which was a relief, because Virgil wasn’t strong enough to carry him for much longer. The three of them all held hands to make sure they stuck together as they wandered the city. Virgil kept his headphones off so he could hear if Roman or Remus needed anything, but there were so many sounds happening around them, he found it hard to focus on walking.

Virgil kept an eye out for the building they were looking for. They were on the right street, he was sure of it. Chimera Bank had to be somewhere around here.

Then he saw it. A building stood across the street with a big black sign spanning the top. Printed on it in yellow was the word “CHIMERA” next to a logo of a yellow two-headed snake. Virgil was tempted to run right across the street so this whole journey would be done and over with, but he didn’t particularly want to get himself or Roman and Remus hit by a car, so he proceeded to walk with the crowd to the crosswalk. He gave another glance around them to double check that they weren’t being followed as he stopped and waited at the crosswalk.

“I don’t think I can walk much anymore,” Remus muttered. He leaned down and rubbed his knee, grimacing in pain.

“Almost there,” Virgil reassured him. “Don’t worry. We just have to cross the street.”

The crosswalk sign changed, and Virgil tugged the twins after him as he followed the crowd across the street. He kept his gaze on the building, as if it might disappear before they could reach it if he wasn’t watching it. Going by their luck, it was entirely possible that could happen.

They reached the other side of the street and quickly weaved through the crowd towards the building. They slowed to a stop outside the door. Virgil stared up at the black and yellow sign. Dad said they would be safe as soon as they were in there. Virgil hoped he was right.

He let go of Roman’s hand to pull the door open. Roman scurried through first, then Virgil guided Remus into the building. Virgil stepped through last and let the door swing shut behind them.

Nothing really looked out of the ordinary inside the bank. There was a line of ATMs to their right that Roman and Remus immediately got distracted by. They rushed up to one of the machines and stared at the screen in confusion. Remus pressed a button and the ATM beeped. There was a counter ahead, and a few tellers sat in chairs behind it. Opposite the ATMs was a cluster of couches. A couple people were speaking to the tellers, and a few others were lounging on the couches.

Virgil’s heart beat a little faster when he realized that he would probably have to speak to one of the tellers in order to get to speak to Janus Chimera. Oh God, his social anxiety was not prepared for this situation.

“I can talk to them.”

Virgil looked down at Roman. He’d left Remus at the ATM and was looking up at Virgil with wide eyes. Roman must have noticed how nervous Virgil was. His offer was appreciated, but Virgil had to be the adult in this situation.

“I got it,” Virgil said, trying to suppress his anxiety. “Thanks, though.” He turned to Remus. “Come on, Ree.”

Remus’ shoulders slumped. He quickly pressed a button on the ATM six times before rushing over to Virgil and Roman. 

Virgil clutched the straps of his backpack and made his way over to the only teller who wasn’t dealing with anyone at the moment. He kept his back straight, trying to feign confidence.

He stopped at the counter and opened his mouth to speak, but he froze as soon as the teller looked up at him. The teller raised an eyebrow at Virgil and the twins. “Can I help you?” he asked.

Virgil swallowed and his shoulders immediately hunched over again. “Uh... we were sent here because—well, our dad sent us. He wanted us to... to talk to Mr. Chimera.” Virgil tried to keep his voice from shaking as he spoke. He felt the need to chew on his bat pendant, but that would just get him some weird looks. He resorted to just grinding his teeth.

The teller scoffed. “Sorry, kid, but no one can just waltz in here asking to see the boss. I can’t help you.”

Roman stepped forward. “Can’t you just tell him we wanna talk? Please?”

The teller shook his head and turned to his computer. “Sorry. I can’t waste the boss’ time with a couple of kids.”

Remus popped up beside Roman. “But—”

Virgil put a hand on Remus’ shoulder. “Okay,” he said. “Well... thanks anyway.”

He steered the twins away from the counter. He took a deep breath to calm his nerves. He was lucky Patton had left a second set of instructions for this specific circumstance.

“What are we going to do now?” Roman asked.

Virgil sighed at the inconvenience of the situation. “We’re going to break in,” he whispered.

He nudged the door open and the three of them left the building. They were supposed to be safe once they were inside, so to Virgil, it felt like they were leaving the one safe zone they had, but he just ignored that bad feeling and guided Roman and Remus to the side of the building. Virgil shot a wary glance at the street before they slipped into the alleyway between Chimera and the next building over. As soon as they were out of the street, Virgil shoved his bat pendant into his mouth and bit down as hard as he could. He was going to end up biting it in half at this rate.

Virgil let go of Roman’s hand to dig around in his pocket. He grabbed Dad’s letter to him and flipped it open to scan one part of the first paragraph.

_If no one lets you in, go around to the side of the building. There’s a manhole in the alley. It’s locked in place, but there are a couple loose bricks in the side of the building. Remove them to reveal a keypad and type in 0203. Pull open the manhole open and go down the ladder. There’s a door that should take you into Chimera’s interior. Unlock it with the same passcode. You can thank Remy for that little bit of information. Once you find Janus, tell him I sent you and give him the letter._

Virgil scanned the side of the building for the loose bricks. He spotted the manhole right away, and his gaze slid over a few bricks that looked like they hadn’t been cemented in place, just slid into their spots. He shoved Dad’s letter back in his pocket and hurried up to the bricks. He gnawed on his necklace as he dug his fingertips under the bricks. He managed to pry one loose. After one was out, the other three were no trouble. He set them on the ground and peered into the gap the bricks had once been in. Dad was right. A keypad sat in the wall that was previously covered by bricks.

He reached in and pressed the numbers 0203. A tiny click met his ears, and he scooped up the bricks and slid them back into place.

“What are you doing?” Remus asked.

Virgil spat out his necklace. “Getting us a way in,” he answered as he placed the last brick where it was supposed to be.

He turned and walked over to the manhole. He hoped the cover wasn’t too heavy. He was spent from carrying Remus off and on for the past hour.

He grabbed the edge of the manhole cover and pulled. It shifted a little, but he couldn’t muster up enough strength to lift it from its place.

“I got it!” Roman rushed over, grinning. He knelt beside Virgil and grabbed the edge of the manhole cover. He grunted as he lifted it, and surprisingly, it actually helped. With Roman’s help, Virgil managed to lift the manhole cover out. He set it aside and peered down.

A ladder was set into the wall just below them. The tunnel wasn’t too long, thank goodness. Virgil didn’t like heights.

He slid into the hole and started climbing down. “Remus, you next,” he called. If Remus slipped and fell, Virgil could catch him and he wouldn’t bump into Roman on the way down.

Remus clambered into the hole, and Roman climbed in after him. He even managed to tug the cover back over the manhole.

Virgil’s foot hit the floor and he stepped off the ladder. He thought it would be darker in an underground tunnel, but bright lights glowed in the ceiling of the short hallway that stretched ahead of them. The light reflected off the steel walls, and at the end of the short hall sat a metal door. Virgil wondered why a bank of all places would have a secret entrance. If anyone with ill intentions knew about it, they could get robbed.

“I knew this place was shady,” he muttered as he started toward the door. Roman and Remus clung to his arms as he walked. He figured there was something weird going on here the second he read Dad’s letter telling him to speak to the boss of this place. If Janus Chimera was involved in the same kind of stuff Dad had gotten dragged into, Virgil was sure the guy couldn’t be trusted.

“What’s down here?” Remus whispered.

“Hopefully, a way to this Janus guy,” Virgil said. He stopped at the door and turned to the keypad next to it. He punched in the same sequence of numbers he had before, and a quiet beep echoed through the hall. Virgil grabbed the handle of the door and pulled it open.

He peered through the doorway. Beyond the door was a hallway, the walls were a light tan colour and lined with soft, warm lights. The polished hardwood floor shone in the soft light. A few wooden doors were set in the walls as well. It didn’t look particularly exciting, but it certainly wasn’t what Virgil expected to see under a bank.

He glanced back and forth. There didn’t seem to be anyone in the hall, so he pulled the door open the rest of the way and stepped through. Roman and Remus followed him, and Remus shut the door after them. 

Virgil took the twins’ hands and started down the right side of the hallway. He wasn’t sure where this Janus guy was supposed to be, but he hoped he wouldn’t be too hard to find.

They reached the corner of the hall and Virgil peeked around it to see if anyone was there. There was one figure walking near the end of the incredibly long hall, but Virgil could barely see them, and he was sure they were walking away. He tugged the twins around the corner and hurried down the hall. His anxiety swelled. What was he supposed to do if they couldn’t find Janus Chimera? Asking anyone for directions wouldn’t be of any help. They would throw him out before he could finish a sentence.

He caught sight of another opening to a hallway in the wall next to them. He paused and glanced around the bend. No one was there. Where was everyone? Were there not security guards around here?

Whatever the case, he wasn’t complaining. The less people around, the easier it was to go unnoticed. He guided the twins down the new hallway, trying to mentally keep track of where they had already been. This place was like a maze with all its random corridors. They might get totally lost in here.

They passed by one of the doors, but he paused when he heard voices speaking on the other side. He furrowed his brow and leaned in to listen.

“No, I’ve got to take out some asshole who’s running for the governor of New Jersey,” someone grumbled. “I get that I’m a good hitman, but can’t he get someone else to do it? This is my third assassination this month!”

“Ugh, I know,” another voice sighed. “He’s got me on interrogation duty. That’s all I’ve been doing lately. I would give anything to be behind a sniper rifle right now.”

“I just want to bash in someone’s ribcage,” the first voice said. “That shouldn’t be too much to ask!”

Virgil backed away from the door as his heart pounded. What kind of fucking business was this guy running?

He pulled the twins down the hall, but now he was considering just leaving this place altogether. Whatever he just heard about someone having to kill the governor of New Jersey was enough to make him want to run screaming from this underground maze. And what was that about bashing someone’s ribcage?

“Virgil,” Roman said, “I feel like we shouldn’t be here.”

“I’m starting to think that myself,” Virgil muttered.

He kept an eye out for anyone in the hall as he and the twins made their way through this strange place. Dad had said they would be safe in here, but Virgil was beginning to feel anything but safe. What if they got caught before they could find Mr. Chimera? He didn’t want to get his ribcage bashed in by anyone down here.

They reached a T in the corridor and stopped. Virgil peered down both sides of the hallway. No one was in sight. Good.

The hair stood up on the back of his neck. He couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was watching them.

Remus screamed behind him and Virgil whirled around. A tall muscular lady had appeared in the hallway. She’d picked Remus up by his backpack and was holding him in midair. He kicked and flailed, but the woman didn’t seem bothered. She had Roman tucked under her other arm, too, and despite his best efforts, his wiggling and squirming didn’t get him anywhere. They’d been caught.

Virgil rushed towards her, unsure of what he was going to do but sure that he had to do something to get her to let go of the twins. “Hey, let them go!”

He was stopped short when something yanked on his backpack. He yelped as he was lifted into the air as well.

“Looks like we found a couple rats,” the lady said. She narrowed her eyes at Virgil. “Did Wrath send you?”

Virgil’s increasing panic was briefly interrupted by confusion. “What? What does that mean?”

“Sorry kids,” the man holding Virgil said. “Whatever Wrath paid you to spy on us, it isn’t enough.” He started back down the hallway and shifted Virgil under his arm.

Virgil squirmed, but the man’s hold was too strong. “What are you going to do with us?”

The lady scoffed. “Don’t worry, the bosses don’t like killing kids.”

“Keeping kids hostage, however,” the man said, “they don’t have a problem with.”

Remus whimpered in fear. “Oh, shut it, kid,” the lady snapped. “The bosses will figure out what to do with you in a bit.”

They turned a corner and entered a new hallway. Just how many corridors did this place have? How did they not get lost?

The two security guards made their way down the hall towards a door at the end, giving Virgil ample time to consider what might happen to the three of them for sneaking in and panic about it. Were they going to get handed off to the police? Would they get beat up as punishment for sneaking in? Would they get killed? Interrogated until they told someone how they got in? Would the interrogation involve violence? Oh no, that’s what was going to happen, wasn’t it? Someone would question them about how they got in and how they knew how to get in, and then Virgil would either have to tell them about Dad and Remy or get the shit kicked out of him and his brothers.

The man gently shook Virgil. “Stop breathing weird. Relax. They ain’t gonna hurt you.”

They stopped in front of the door. The man knocked on the wood, and a woman’s voice responded. “Come in.”

The man opened the door and stepped through. They emerged in an office covered in the same red carpet and tan wallpaper as the rest of the place, but hanging on the walls were a variety of artworks and photos. A lamp stood in the far right corner of the room, and a desk was set in the far left corner. In the middle of the far wall was another door. Sitting at the desk was a black woman, her hair pulled back into a bun. She looked up as they entered the room, and with a start, Virgil recognized her as the same lady who had helped them in the Starbucks.

The woman’s gaze rested on Virgil. “You again.” She raised an eyebrow. “How did you weasel your way in here?”

Virgil opened his mouth to answer, but his voice got caught in his throat. He knew this lady had been suspicious.

She sighed and stood up. “Janus is going to want to have a few words with you, I’m sure.” She strode to the door in the wall and knocked. “Jan? We’ve got a couple little visitors.”

“Come on, then,” a voice shouted form the other side of the door. The woman opened the door and motioned for the security guards to follow her.

Virgil bit his lip nervously as the guards carried them to the door. He was not prepared for this.

They entered the next room. It was decorated very similarly to the office they’d just been in, but the lights were much softer and had a more yellowish tint. A couple couches rested against the wall, and draped across them were soft throw blankets and pillows. Across the room was a desk. Virgil was struck dumb when he saw the man sitting behind it.

The man wore a black suit with a pale yellow dress shirt under it. His hands were covered by yellow gloves, and a curl of black hair peeked out from under his bowler hat. The skin on one side of his face was really dark, but a large splotch of pale white skin covered the other side. The white patch of skin trailed down his neck and disappeared into his suit.

Virgil stared at him. “You’re Janus.”

The man scoffed. “It’s pronounced _Jan-us_.” He pronounced it like “Janice,” like he was some sort of... middle-school librarian. Weird.

He stood and leaned over his desk to glare at the kids. “So, you must be the kids D.W. found. We thought you were being followed by Wrath’s Blade.”

“I don’t know what that is,” Virgil spluttered. “Please, just let me—”

“You managed to throw off some of my own agents,” Janus Chimera continued. “Not particularly surprising, considering they were fairly new, but still. Impressive.” He walked around to the front of his desk and leaned back against it. “You’ve been trained to spy on us, haven’t you?”

Virgil blinked. “What? No, we were sent here—”

“By Wrath, yes,” Mr. Chimera mused. “We know. Whatever they paid you to do this, it wasn’t enough. I wonder how they’ll feel when they realize their little rats have been caught.”

Virgil’s eyes widened. He didn’t know what Wrath was or why Mr. Chimera thought they were involved with it, but Virgil didn’t want to find out what Janus would do to the three of them to get his point across to these “Wrath” people.

Mr. Chimera sighed. “You’re lucky I don’t kill children.” He looked up at the two guards still holding Virgil and the twins. “Dump them outside. I doubt they have anything useful to tell us.”

The two guards turned and started for the door. Virgil struggled harder. No, Dad said they had to stay with Mr. Chimera! This wasn’t supposed to happen!

He squirmed in the guard’s arms. In one last moment of desperation, he yelled out the only thing he could think of that might get them out of this mess.

“Patton Hart sent us!”

The guards almost reached the door when they stopped abruptly. Virgil looked up to see Mr. Chimera standing with a hand on each of the guards’ shoulders. He stared down at Virgil with wide eyes.

His gaze flickered to the guards. “Set them down.”

The guards put the three kids down on the carpet. Mr. Chimera waved his hand in a shooing motion, and the two guards left the room. The woman from the Starbucks stayed.

Virgil turned to the twins and put a hand on their shoulders. “You okay?”

Remus nodded. He and Roman clung to each other, fear evident on their faces, but they seemed unharmed.

Virgil turned back to Janus Chimera. He had walked back to his desk and was leaning back against it. He stared at Virgil, then at Remus, then at Roman.

He turned to the woman. “D.W.? Can you grab these kids some water from the staff room? I believe we have some things to discuss.”


	6. We Accidentally Break Into A Stranger's House

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Having finally reached the next city over, Patton just needs to find a safe enough place to stay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i felt like i didn't have enough female characters in this fic, so i made all the characters from the short videos (except for Remy) into girls. Andy is now an emo lesbian and that's just how it's gonna be
> 
> also, side note: y'all are so??? amazing??? this is by far the most support i've ever gotten on a fic, thank you guys so much i love ALL of you <3 <3 <3 <3
> 
> mild warning, there is food in this chapter! Remy buys Andy some chips, and that's about it.

Patton decided he hated cops.

Granted, this small car chase hadn’t amounted to much. The police car chasing them hadn’t been able to keep up, and Remy had taken a detour down another road to ensure that they’d thrown her off their trail, but still. It was nerve-wracking as heck. He had no idea Wrath’s Blade had people inside the justice system.

Now they were cruising along at a speed that wouldn’t get them immediately pulled over, and Patton was eternally grateful that Remy had slowed down. He couldn’t help but get anxious over the possibility of crashing and dying. Death was the thing Patton was trying to avoid at the present moment. Gosh, this was more stressful than the Poison Dart Massacre of 2010! Well, maybe not quite. 2010 had been a very stressful year.

He held tight to Remy as they zipped along the highway towards the city. Patton knew Wrath’s Blade wasn’t just limited to their home city, Clawmore, but no one would be expecting him to be here in Sidehill instead. He hoped that would be enough to throw them off his trail for now.

He gazed around as buildings came into view, along with more roads. He didn’t know where Remy was going to take them, but he trusted Remy to get them somewhere safe. Patton couldn’t help but glance through the windows of every car they passed as they drove along the road. Anyone could be from Wrath. Anyone could be chasing them.

He shook his head. He needed to stop being so paranoid.

Remy turned down a different street. Patton wondered what Remy’s friend Andy would be like. He hoped she wasn’t too involved in illegal affairs. The last thing Patton needed was more police on his tail.

Actually, now that Patton thought about it, he had never heard of Remy having a friend named Andy before. He wondered why Remy had never told him about her before. Maybe it was because Andy was involved in illegal stuff. Patton could understand that. Patton kept his own illegal habits a secret from Remy for years back when they first became friends.

Patton kept his shoulders tensed as they got to a more populated area of the city. They emerged on a street lined with stores and buildings. Patton kept his eyes out for anyone wearing orange. It was an uncommon colour to wear casually, so it was entirely possible that anyone wearing it could be after him.

“So, Remy,” he said. Now that they were going at a much slower pace in the middle of traffic, Patton hoped it was easier for Remy to hear him through the helmet. “Where is this friend of yours?”

Remy shrugged as they slowed to a stop at a traffic light. “She’s always changing her address, makes it harder for people to track her down. I actually think she sold her apartment a couple months ago. Not sure.”

Patton blinked. “So, we don’t know where she is?”

“Well, she definitely knows where we are. She doesn’t like to be found easily, though. She’s probably going to mess with us.”

“Mess with us how?”

Remy shrugged. “Dunno. I’ll know when I see it.”

Patton didn’t really like the sound of that. What was this Andy woman going to do? And how did she know where they were?

They followed the flow of traffic. Nothing seemed too out of the ordinary so far, but he still couldn’t force himself to relax. He needed to stay on his toes if he would have any chance at staying away from Wrath.

Patton yelped when Remy suddenly took a sharp turn down another street, earning some angry honking from the drivers around them. “Where are we going?” he asked.

Remy gestured with one hand to something far ahead of them. Patton squinted at where he pointed. He spotted an electric billboard amongst the buildings. Words flashed across it over a black background. Patton made out the words “follow the trail” before the screen flickered to an advertisement for a hotel.

“What’s going on?” Patton asked. “Where are we going? What are we doing?”

Remy’s knuckles were white on the handles of his motorbike. “Following the trail.”

Patton had a thousand questions, but asking them might just raise more. He opted to stay quiet while Remy drove them through the city. He would save his questions for later, when Remy wasn’t so focused on the task at hand, whatever that task was.

He furrowed his brow when Remy pulled over into the parking lot of a hotel. “Is this where she is?”

Remy parked the motorcycle and stood. “Nope. Just picking up the next breadcrumb in the trail.” He took off his helmet and narrowed his eyes at the door. “Do I go in?” he whispered.

Patton shrugged. He had no idea what was going on. He just sat back and listened to the music someone was playing from their car in the parking lot. He glanced in their direction. The person was sitting in the driver’s seat and scrolling through their phone. Probably waiting for their spouse or friend to leave the hotel, or waiting for someone else to arrive.

He jumped when the music volume spiked. It took Patton a moment to notice the song had changed as well. The lyrics were vulgar and obscene, and Patton almost wanted to cover his ears at the sound of it. The person in the car had a look of confusion on their face. They hit all the buttons on their radio and turned their volume dial, but nothing changed.

Patton couldn’t help but listen to some of the words of the song, considering the sheer volume. _“Good times on Front Street!”_ the radio sang, accompanied by a jazzy piano instrumental. The song dissolved into senseless noise, and when the person hit another button on their radio, it turned back to a fun pop song. They turned the volume down and rolled up their window with an embarrassed blush on their cheeks.

Remy stared at it. “Front Street,” he muttered. He pulled out his phone. “Does this city have a Front Street?”

After a moment of typing and scrolling, Remy shoved his phone back into his pocket and grabbed his helmet. He sat on the bike and barely waited for Patton to wrap his arms around his waist before he pulled out of the parking spot and zipped back onto the street.

Patton was mildly confused as to what was going on, but he trusted Remy to get them to where they needed to go. He just held on to Remy and kept his eyes out for any signs of someone following them. They seemed safe for now, but anyone could be an enemy.

Remy turned down another street and slowed down. He pulled over and parked next to the sidewalk. Patton’s confusion only grew when Remy turned to Patton to ask a question. “What other lyrics did that song say? Did you hear any of it?”

Patton blinked. “The song the person in the car was listening to?”

“Yeah. Do you remember what else it was about?”

Patton wracked his brain. “Uh, I don’t remember exactly what it said, but it was vulgar. There was something about drinking. Or drugs. I don’t really know. I think it was drinking.”

Remy glanced around the street. “Drinking, drugs... Is there a bar anywhere around here?”

Patton crossed his arms and gave Remy his best disapproving dad glare. “Remy, we are not drinking. It’s hardly after lunch time.”

“No, I don’t want to drink. I’m just following Andy’s trail.” His gaze slid across something a ways down the sidewalk. “There’s a bar.”

Patton furrowed his brow. “Why is that important?”

Remy stared at the bar he’d seen down the sidewalk. Patton followed his gaze. The neon sign above the bar blinked on and off. Patton squinted at it. It was flashing in a repeating pattern. Was that... was that Morse code?

Remy gazed intently at the neon sign. “This fucker wants me to go where?” he whispered. He stared at the sign for another minute, then heaved a sigh. “Looks like we’re stopping by the nearest Walmart.”

As Remy revved the motorcycle and pulled back into traffic, Patton only came up with more and more questions. What was this wild goose chase they were being sent on for? Was this a normal occurrence when Remy wanted to visit his friend Andy? Why was Andy doing this?

However, he tried to remain patient as they drove through the streets. He wasn’t sure what all of this was about, but he hoped he would be able to find out soon. He was anxious out of his mind, and being confused was certainly not helping the situation.

Remy turned down another street. A Walmart came into view, and Patton couldn’t resist asking the question while they entered the parking lot. “Why are we here?”

Remy pulled into a parking space and parked the bike. “Because Andy’s an asshole,” he grumbled as he pulled off his helmet. “You’re coming in with me. You shouldn’t be alone out here.”

Patton wasn’t about to argue with that. He pulled his own helmet off, his curly brown hair falling around his face in a disheveled mess. He took his glasses off his shirt collar and shoved them on his face while Remy did the same with his sunglasses. Patton gave a cautious glance around the parking lot, as did Remy, before they walked side by side towards the Walmart. No one in the crowd around them looked suspicious, but Patton still kept his guard up. He clutched the straps of his backpack, trying to ease his nerves.

Remy entered the store first, and Patton hurried after him. Remy passed right by the carts and the shopping baskets, making a beeline for a chip display. He grabbed two bags of Doritos and turned towards the checkout.

Patton quickened his pace so he matched Remy’s speed. “Why are we buying chips?”

“Because the asshole wants chips,” Remy answered bitterly. He went for the self checkout. Patton followed, still feeling a little lost.

Remy tapped his foot impatiently as they waited in line. Patton had only ever seen him as cocky, fun-loving, and wild. This impatient, frustrated, and focused Remy was a little strange to see. Maybe Remy was worried about his friend, Andy. Maybe he just wanted to get somewhere safe as soon as possible. Patton didn’t know.

They reached the till and Remy put the two bags of chips through. However, Patton was staring at the screen over his shoulder, and for some reason, a third item appeared on the screen. Except it didn’t describe any kind of merchandise, and the price next to it amounted to zero dollars. The text of the third item just read “30 Side Street”.

“That’s an address,” Patton realized.

Remy nodded. “Yep.” He shoved the chips into the plastic bag of snacks they still had from the gas station. “Let’s hope that’s our final destination. I don’t want to play this game for the next two hours.”

He tapped his debit card against the machine and strode towards the door as soon as it beeped. The thought crossed Patton’s mind that maybe going through a different till and paying in cash would have been better. Cards could leave a paper trail, after all. However, he just patiently waited for the receipt to print. He took it from the machine and scurried after Remy.

“So, what is all of this?” Patton decided to ask as soon as they were outside. “Is this just to meet Andy? Why’s she sending us on this wild goose chase around the city?”

“She just does that,” Remy sighed. “She doesn’t want anyone else to find out where she is except for us, and she doesn’t want to text me the address because I could get hacked or something. Besides, I think she just likes fucking with me.”

Patton considered all the strange things that had happened so far: the billboard with the strange message, the radio in that person’s car at the hotel, the flashing neon sign over the bar, and now the text on the checkout screen. “Was Andy doing all of that?”

Remy gave a curt nod. “She’s a talented bastard. The asshole can hijack anything. Radio signals, screens, lights... she could probably cause a city-wide blackout if she wanted. It’s a wonder she hasn’t done that yet.”

Patton took a couple seconds to process that information as Remy shoved his helmet back on. This Andy lady sounded dangerous. If she could control that many things and in such a short time... what would be keeping her from getting a hold of Patton’s personal information and selling it off to Wrath’s Blade? If they knew his location, they would be on him like moths on a lamp.

Remy held up Patton’s helmet. “Come on, we don’t have all day.”

Patton took off his glasses and put on his helmet. He sat behind Remy and wrapped his arms around his waist, hoping Remy wouldn’t go zipping through the city like a madman.

Luckily, Remy backed out of the parking spot at a normal speed. “It’s a short drive from here,” he said. “Your anxiety gonna be able to hold out until then?”

Patton wasn’t sure how to answer that question. “Yeah,” he decided eventually.

He let his mind wander as they rode through the city. He hoped Virgil and the twins managed to find their way to Janus without too much trouble. If they’d been followed and cornered somewhere... no, he couldn’t think about that. They made it. They had to have made it to Janus. He wanted to call them or at least text to see if they were alive, but he couldn’t risk them being traced back to him. Contacting them would only put them in more danger than they were already in.

But would the kids being there put Janus in danger, too? Patton hadn’t thought so, considering Janus’ more... illegal career choices, but what if Wrath decided to attack Chimera to get the kids so they could get to Patton? Even worse, there was always a possibility that if Wrath knew Chimera was housing the kids of Patton, who was _very_ high up on their shit list, they might try to barter with Chimera for the kids. Patton could only hope that Janus’ morals were consistent and that he wouldn’t sell Patton’s kids to another gang for the right amount of money.

Despite his concerns, Patton did trust him. Janus may not have been the most honest person in the world, but he was always true to his word. He promised he would repay Patton someday, and today was that day. Janus would protect the kids.

“We’re here.”

Patton blinked and looked around. He hadn’t noticed that they’d entered a neighborhood. It was a quaint street lined with houses, which reminded Patton too much of his own home with his kids. They had parked in front of a nice two-story house with white siding.

Remy stood. “Come on. I think this is our last stop.”

Patton stood with him. They both tugged off their helmets as they walked up the driveway towards the door. The hair on the back of Patton’s neck stood on end, and his instincts were screaming at him to run, but he ignored that and just followed Remy to the house. Everything would be fine. He trusted Remy.

Remy didn’t bother to knock. He just opened the door and walked right in. Patton wanted to tell Remy that maybe breaking in wasn’t the best idea. Last time Patton had broken into a house, it hadn’t ended well for the people who lived in the house. But Remy didn’t play by other people’s rules. If he wanted to walk right into a stranger’s house, he was going to walk right into a stranger’s house.

Patton hesitantly followed him. They emerged in a small kitchen. Just ahead was a living room with a set of blinds covering the far wall, and to the right was a hallway. It looked like a nice place.

“Didja bring my stuff?”

Patton shrieked in fear at the sudden voice. Remy, however, didn’t even flinch.

“Yeah, I got your shit.” He walked towards the living room, pulling out the two bags of Doritos he’d bought. He tossed them on the couch.

“Sweet,” said the new voice. A dark hand snatched up one of the bags, and Patton heard the person rip it open.

Remy looked at Patton and gestured to the couch. “This is Andy.”

Patton stepped past the kitchen counter and peered down. A woman with brown skin lounged on the couch, her form lost in a mess of black fabric that made up a t-shirt and a baggy hoodie. Her short black hair fell over her face in messy bangs. A laptop sat on the couch next to her.

Patton blinked, a little surprised. He’d expected someone who looked a little more... dangerous. This lady reminded him more of Virgil, with her whole emo aesthetic, except this woman’s look was more lazy than deliberately edgy. She even looked about as young as Virgil too, but Patton doubted she was any younger than nineteen. No one that young could cause the kind of havoc Remy claimed Andy was capable of.

“It’s nice to meet you,” Patton said. “Remy told me about you.”

“And the stuff you can do,” Remy added. “Listen, Patton’s in some shit with Wrath, and we need somewhere to stay. How much will it take for you to get us a couple fake identities?”

Andy paused just before she could shove a Dorito into her mouth. She looked Patton up and down and raised an eyebrow. “The dad in the double denim, a cat hoodie, and an elementary student’s backpack is in deep shit with Wrath’s Blade?” She turned back to Remy. “You’re fuckin’ with me, right?”

“Unfortunately, no,” Remy said.

Andy snorted. “Damn, dude. The hell did you do?”

Patton’s shoulders tensed automatically. He didn’t want to share. It wasn’t something he liked to think about.

“Let’s just say I’m very, _very_ high up on their list of people they hate,” Patton said. “Like, so high up, I pulled a favour with the leader of an underground crime ring so he would take care of my kids and keep them safe so Wrath doesn’t kidnap them to get to me.”

Andy stared at him for a solid ten seconds. “No fucking way.” She grabbed her laptop off the couch and clicked a few things. She turned it around and held it up so Patton could see. “These your kids?”

Patton looked at the screen, and a feeling of overwhelming relief washed over him. On screen was footage from a security camera inside Chimera Bank, the location back in Clawmore. He recognized Virgil’s outlandish fashion sense and Remus’ limp right away. His kiddos had made it safely to Chimera.

“Is that footage recent?” he asked. “Are they okay? Are they still in there?”

Andy set the laptop back down and held up a hand. “Whoa there, padre. You two are asking for two very different tasks here.” She pointed to Remy. “He wants some new identities so you guys can hide out somewhere.” She pointed to Patton. “And you wanna see if your babies are still alive. Those are some pretty tall orders. And I don’t exactly give out my services for free.”

“How much?” Patton demanded. At the moment, knowing if his kids were okay was more important than making sure he was safe himself.

Remy sighed. “Come on, man.”

Andy shook her head. “Look, dude, I gotta make a living. I can’t just do all this shit for free. It’s gonna cost you.”

Remy lowered his sunglasses to stare at Andy. “I bought you Doritos.”

Andy glanced down at the chip bags. She scratched the back of her neck and bit her lip as if she was thinking. “Yeah. Hmm.” She heaved a laborious sigh. “Fine. If you guys can bring me a couple cans of Redbull, I’ll consider us even. But only because I like you, padre. You’re dealing with two of the most dangerous gangs in the U.S. of A. You’ve got balls.”

Patton wasn’t sure what to do with that compliment. “That is... an unorthodox way of saying I have courage, but I’ll take it!”

Andy turned back to her computer. “That footage I showed you was from ten minutes ago. Your kids left the building and didn’t come back.”

Patton cursed in his head. The teller must not have let them in to see Janus. That wasn’t a surprise. He hoped they’d managed to follow Patton’s instructions to get inside Chimera.

“Can you by any chance get into the cameras underground?” Patton asked.

Andy furrowed her brow and shoved a couple Doritos into her mouth. “Dunno,” she mumbled through her food. “I mean, I can, but Chimera might kick my ass if they find out I’ve been poking around in their stuff.”

“Will they find out?” Remy asked.

Andy scoffed. “Unlikely. Hang on, I’ve already got a loophole into their cameras.”

Patton waited with bated breath as Andy clicked on a few things. She turned the laptop around for Patton to see. “Here they are now.”

On screen was a view of a hallway in the underground base of Chimera. Two security guards were walking down the hall. One had Roman and Remus in her arms, and the other was holding Virgil off the ground as they walked down the corridor. Patton hoped they were taking them to Janus’ office. He was lucky Janus didn’t kill kids.

“Sucks that the boss don’t have cams in his office,” Andy remarked as she turned her laptop back around. “He’s got his computer camera covered and his microphone removed. Smart guy. If you ever need to check up on them, I can probably get into their cell phones if you give me their numbers.”

“Thank you so much,” Patton said. “I owe you.”

Andy waved a hand dismissively. “Nah, it’s good. I got enough money from running other gigs.”

Remy shoved his hands into his pockets. “Now, the fake identities?”

“Yeah, I got you.” Andy grabbed a handful of chips from the bag, but she stopped before she could stuff them in her mouth. She looked up at the ceiling. “God dammit.”

Remy furrowed his brow. “What? What’s wrong?”

Then Patton heard it. Footsteps walked around above them, and then he heard them jogging down the staircase that led into the living room.

Patton stared at the stairs like a deer in headlights as someone’s pyjama clad legs came into view. A man emerged from the stairwell, rubbing his eyes sleepily. He opened them and they widened.

“What the fuck!” he shrieked in alarm at the sight of the people in his living room. He stumbled backwards and fell onto the landing. His brown hair was disheveled and his robe was rumpled as if he’d just woken up. He stared back and forth between all three people before him.

“Huh. I forgot he was home.” Andy gestured to the man with one hand. “Remy Dormir, Patton Hart, this is Thomas Sanders. I broke into his house.”


	7. I Already Don't Like The Snake Man

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Janus isn't quite sure what to do about the kids who have appeared in his office. Virgil isn't happy with their situation, either.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is a bit shorter and not as eventful, but i thought the characters would need a bit of a break since everything kind of sucks for them right now. there will be more interactions between Janus and the kids next chapter, i promise!

Janus didn’t quite know what to do about the kids.

D.W. left to get them some water from the staff room, leaving the four of them alone in Janus’ office. The three kids stood near the door, the purple-haired teenager stationed a little in front of the other two as if to protect them. He glared at Janus, gripping the straps of his backpack tight. The two twins peeked out at Janus from behind the older one, staring with curiosity at the pale blotches on the left side of his face.

They must have been Patton’s kids. Physically, they looked nothing like him, but everything else screamed “Hart”. The teenager had that same vigilance Patton always used to display, standing with his feet shoulder-width apart and gaze flickering all around the room as if searching for something that could be used as a weapon. No doubt Patton had taught the kid some self-defence. The younger kids, however, looked more excited and curious than afraid. The awed gleam in their eyes was the same one that Patton would always get when he saw something interesting or beautiful.

Janus gestured to the couches. “You may sit down, if you’d like. I’m sure your journey here has been taxing.”

The teenager narrowed his eyes further. Janus couldn’t help the pang of nostalgia he got at the sight. It was the same look Patton had given him upon their first meeting. How things had changed since then.

The other two, however, rushed over to a couch without hesitation. The one in the red shirt leaped onto the cushions with an excited squeal. The other one simply flopped onto the couch and immediately grabbed at one of the soft blankets.

The teenager glanced from Janus to the twins. He turned his glare back to Janus and lowered himself onto one of the cushions.

Janus leaned back against his desk. The door swung open and D.W. walked in with a stack of cups and a pitcher of water. She set them on the coffee table and straightened. She motioned to the armchair with her head. “Come on, Jan.”

D.W. sat on the armchair and leaned back, arms and legs crossed. Janus sat on the arm of the chair and looked down at the three children. The twin in green with the bleached streak in his hair had slid off the couch and sat in front of the coffee table to carefully pour himself a cup of water. He finished pouring, and instead of drinking it himself, he held the cup out to his twin. The boy in red muttered a “thank you” under his breath and took the cup. The green twin poured another cup and held it up to the teenager. The teen’s eyes widened slightly, but he just smiled and shook his head with a quite “no thanks”. The green twin shrugged and sipped at the water himself.

“So,” Janus began. “Do you all have names?”

“I’m Remus!” the twin in green blurted. He pointed to his twin. “That’s Roman.”

Janus raised an eyebrow at the teenager. “And you are...?”

The teenager scowled. “You don’t need to know.”

Roman pointed at the teenager. “That’s Virgil.”

“Virgil,” Janus repeated. That was a name he’d never heard before. “It’s nice to meet all of you, I suppose. I assume you are Patton’s children?”

“Yes,” Virgil snapped. He didn’t lower his glare from Janus’ face, but his gaze never met Janus’ eyes.

“So, do you happen to know why Patton Hart sent a bunch of children to us? Children who should be in school, from the looks of it,” Janus added, giving their backpacks a quick glance.

Virgil reached into the pocket of his black and purple sweater. He pulled out an envelope with Janus’ name written on it in Patton’s handwriting. He tossed it like a frisbee towards the armchair.

D.W. caught it in one hand and held it up to Janus. Her gaze didn’t move from the teenager’s face. Janus took the envelope and tore it open. Out of the envelope fell three folded pieces of paper. Janus tucked the envelope under his arm and unfolded the papers. He scanned the paragraphs scribbled messily on the pages.

_Janus,  
I’m cashing in that favour. Take care of them for me. You don’t even have to do it yourself. You can hire a nanny or just let Virgil do everything. Doesn’t matter. But they need to be under your direct eye. Keep them with you at all times. Don’t let Wrath anywhere near them. Don’t let them out of your sight if you can help it. Just keep them safe for me. If anyone finds out you have them, make sure people know you’re the one caring for them. Make threats, up your security, I don’t care. Do everything you can within your power to make sure my kiddos stay alive and safe.   
I’m counting on you.  
Best wishes,  
Patton_

Janus read the letter once, then again to let it fully register in his brain. He tucked the letter behind the other two pieces of paper that had been in the envelope. On one page was a couple paragraphs about each of the kids. Tips on how to care for them, Janus assumed. On the final paper was a list of phone numbers and who the numbers belonged to.

Janus swallowed. So the day had come. Wrath’s Blade had found Patton. He knew it would happen eventually. No one escaped Wrath’s... well, wrath. He just wasn’t prepared for it to happen now.

And he certainly wasn’t prepared to babysit a bunch of kids.

He cleared his throat and lowered the letter. “It appears that I am to become your temporary caretaker for the time your father is gone. I will admit that I am ill-equipped for this, but I will do my best to keep you safe as promised.” He gently folded the papers and tucked them back into the envelope.

D.W. looked up at him with an incredulous look. “Wait, we’re supposed to babysit them?”

“Yes.” Janus stood. “For the time being, at least. Don’t worry, they are not spies for Wrath’s Blade. They are children of an _old friend.”_ He gave her a look that he hoped conveyed his point.

D.W. blinked. She stood from the armchair and jabbed her thumb in the direction of the door. “Jannie, can we talk in private for a minute?”

Janus slid the envelope into the jacket of his suit. “Oh, absolutely not, D.W., I’m sure these children need us to watch them at all times.”

“Great.” She strode to the door, and Janus followed.

“Don’t break anything,” he called to the three kids as he left the room. He shut the door behind him.

D.W. whirled on him the moment the door closed. “Since when did Patton Hart have kids?”

Janus sighed. “We knew this was going to happen eventually. Sure, I didn’t expect children to be part of it, but Patton needs us now.”

“I still don’t know if we can trust him,” D.W. argued. She rubbed at her hip where her leg met her prosthetic. “The guy is a fucking maniac, Jan. Sure, he’s changed, but who’s to say he’s any more trustworthy now? Remember what happened when we ran into him in 2010?”

Janus shuddered. “Please don’t remind me. The Poison Dart Massacre was a nightmare.” He sighed. “But this is a little more complicated than a normal babysitting gig. I know you don’t trust them or Patton for that matter, but these are kids. They’re probably scared. They’ve been running from Wrath all day.”

D.W.’s shoulders slumped. “We’re all gonna be on Wrath’s shit list if we keep meddling in their stuff like this.”

Janus shrugged. “You seemed pretty eager to help these same children earlier when you went out to get coffee.”

She narrowed her eyes. “I hate it when you have a point.” She rubbed the bridge of her nose with two fingers like a headache was sprouting behind her eyes. “We keeping them at the house or here?”

“Well, Patton did say in his letter that I should keep them in my sight at all times if I can. I suppose we will have to make up the guest rooms in the house.”

D.W. shot a glance back at the door. “Do you even know how to take care of kids?”

“I’m sure it won’t be difficult. How hard could watching over a few children be?”

*******

Virgil wanted to make this guy’s life a living hell.

As soon as Mr. Chimera and his... possible bodyguard, assistant, or secretary left the room, Roman and Remus started taking all the blankets and throw pillows and piling them into a pillow fort. Virgil was almost tempted to tell them to stop when Remus started removing the cushions from the couch, but he decided not to. Whatever made this Janus Chimera guy’s life more difficult was something Virgil would support.

He just didn’t trust this dude. How did he know Patton? Why hadn’t Patton ever told them about Janus Chimera before? And what was with the stuff he overheard those people talking about in that room in one of the hallways? This whole place seemed shady.

The door opened, and Mr. Chimera and his friend walked back in. Janus’ gaze flickered to the pillow fort being constructed in his office. Annoyance flashed across his face, but he said nothing about it. He cleared his throat to get the twins’ attention.

He gestured to the woman standing next to him. “This is D.W. If you need anything urgent, speak to her. You will remain here until the end of the day when it is time for me to go home. You will live with me there and travel with me here during work days so I can do my job and keep an eye on you at the same time. You can stay in my office during the day, and I will take you to the staff room for lunch when the time comes.”

“Do you have snacks?”

Mr. Chimera blinked at Virgil. “Pardon?”

“Do you have snacks,” Virgil repeated firmly. He crossed his arms. “We always have a snack at three. I don’t like changing up our schedule.”

Mr. Chimera nodded. “Fair. Yes, we do have snacks in the staff room. D.W. can take you to it. On the topic of schedules, I do have my own to stick to, so please refrain from interrupting me too much.”

He strode to his desk. The woman, D.W., turned and left the room, leaving the door open a crack. Virgil turned back to Roman and Remus. They were busy trying to prop up a cushion against the coffee table so they could drape a blanket over the whole thing. Virgil heard the clacking of computer keys as Janus started typing something on his computer.

Virgil shouldered his backpack and leaned back in his seat, already getting lost in his boredom. There didn’t seem to be anything to do in here. He didn’t want to use up all the battery on his phone, and he didn’t bring any books to read.

He stood up and walked to the door with a sigh. Roman and Remus could handle themselves in here on their own. They seemed preoccupied by their pillow fort, anyway.

He nudged the door open and kicked it shut behind him. He walked past D.W.’s desk towards the door across her office. It couldn’t hurt to wander the place a little, couldn’t it? They were under Mr. Chimera’s protection now. No one was going to mess with him in here, would they?

“Where are you going, kid?”

Virgil turned around to look at D.W. sitting at her desk. “Gonna look around,” he answered. “Is that allowed?”

D.W. nodded. “Yes. Just hang on.” She opened a drawer in her desk and rummaged around. She plucked something from her desk and tossed it to him. “Just in case.”

Virgil fumbled with it and it almost fell to the ground. He managed not to drop it, and he stared down at the thing D.W. had thrown him. It was a black pin with the Chimera logo on it, a bright yellow two-headed snake.

“It’ll let everyone know you’re authorized to be here,” D.W. said. She gave him a small smile. “I hope you know that you’re safe here. If anyone gives you any problems, come talk to me. I’ll knock some sense into them.”

Virgil stared at her. He thought she’d been annoyed by Virgil’s sudden presence here.

“Thank you,” he said.

“Stay safe, hon.” She turned back to the computer on the desk in front of her.

Virgil stuck the pin through his shirt. He straightened his sweater to make sure the pin was visible. He glanced towards the door, but now he wondered if exploring really was the best idea. What if he bumped into someone in a hallway and they asked why he was there? What if he got lost and had to ask someone for directions? What if, what if, what if. So many scenarios rolled through his head. He’d already had a stressful enough day, and it only just past noon. He shouldn’t make things worse by purposely going out and interacting with people he didn’t know, but he didn’t want to stay here and be a bother to Mr. Chimera and his friend.

“You okay, kid?”

Virgil looked up. D.W. was staring at him with one eyebrow raised. It took him a moment to realize he was chewing on his bat necklace.

He took it out of his mouth, face flushing with embarrassment. “Yeah, m’good.”

D.W. gestured to the couch across the room. “You can stay here if you want. I don’t mind a little company. I’ve got books you can read, too.”

Virgil hesitated. He didn’t want to be a bother. “I don’t know,” he muttered. “I... I can just go, if I’m—”

“You’re not bugging me,” D.W. assured him. “You can stay here. I get it. I don’t always want to be in the same room as Jack the Fibber in there.” She pointedly jerked her head towards the door to Mr. Chimera’s office.

Virgil glanced from Janus’ door to the couch. “Are you sure...?”

“Absolutely,” D.W. said. “Go ahead, kid. Get comfortable.”

She turned back to her computer. Virgil raised his bat pendant back to his mouth. He couldn’t help but wonder if she was lying about him not being a bother, but he decided that saying anything more about it would just be bothering her more. He trudged over to the couch and sat, feeling a little awkward. He glanced at the short bookshelf next to the couch. He spotted a couple familiar titles, but he didn’t want to disturb her things.

He glanced up at her. She seemed absorbed in her work now. She might not notice if he read a book or two.

He scooted closer to the bookshelf and peered at the titles. He spotted Fahrenheit 451 on the shelf and reached for it. He tugged it out of the mess of books and flipped it open. He had read it before with Dad and Mr. Minder, but it was a good book, so he might as well read it again. He flipped it open and started reading.


	8. Oh God, I Made An Eleven-Year-Old Cry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Patton and Remy find a place to stay. Janus has no idea how to speak to children, but he tries his best. He's pretty sure his best isn't good enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> forgot to do this when i first posted this chapter, but here's a slight warning for the presence of food in this chapter!! there's nothing too descriptive, just D.W. throwing snacks at people because that's how she shows her affection

Remy lowered his sunglasses to stare at Andy. “You broke into someone’s house?”

Andy shrugged. “I’m unpredictable like that.” She shoved another handful of chips into her mouth.

Patton turned to the man, Thomas, who was still staring at them like they were ghosts. “We’re sorry for breaking in like this!” Patton blurted. “We didn’t know this wasn’t Andy’s house! We’ll leave.” He grabbed Remy’s sleeve and tugged him toward the door. “Come on, you two.”

Thomas Sanders blinked at them. His shocked expression morphed into one of exasperation. He heaved a great sigh and pushed himself to his feet. “Andy, I’ve changed the locks five times. How do you keep getting in?”

“I’m special,” Andy said through the mouthful of chips.

Thomas shook his head and turned to Patton and Remy. “Sorry, you’re welcome to stay.” He gestured to Andy with one hand. “Andy comes here a lot. I’m used to it. I just wish she would give me some warning beforehand, because I am not prepared for company.” He shot Andy a glare as he straightened his robe. He gave Patton and Remy an apologetic smile. “This isn’t the first time I’ve had unexpected guests. Feel free to sit and get comfortable.”

Remy didn’t hesitate to flop on the couch next to Andy. Patton, however, wanted to make sure he wasn’t intruding too much. “Are you sure?” he asked. “We can leave if you—”

Thomas waved a hand. “It’s fine. Seriously, don’t worry about it. It’s not the first time I’ve taken in strangers.” He folded his robe over his shirt and strode to the kitchen. “I’ll get you some late lunch.”

Patton raised an eyebrow, and his suspicions rose with it. “This is a normal occurrence for you?” If this guy was involved with Andy, who was involved in illegal things and might have worked with Wrath before in the past, who was to say Patton could trust him? This Thomas guy seemed perfectly fine, but Patton couldn’t be too cautious in a situation like this.

Thomas opened the cupboard and rummaged through it. “Yeah. Andy brings people here all the time. Sometimes I wake up and she’s sitting on the end of my bed like a sleep paralysis demon. It’s nothing I’ve never dealt with before.” He pulled a jar of peanut butter out of his cupboard. “Is anyone okay with PB&J for lunch?”

“We don’t need anything,” Remy said. He lowered his sunglasses and twisted around in his seat to face Thomas. He gave Thomas a once-over and a grin twitched at his lips. “There’s a good enough snack standing right in front of me.”

Patton swatted Remy on the arm. “Remy!” He ignored the blush on Thomas’ face that appeared at the compliment. “I’m sorry about him, he flirts with anything that moves.”

“It’s alright,” Thomas said, his voice an octave higher. He cleared his throat and put the peanut butter back in the cupboard. “So, what kind of shit are you guys involved in?”

Patton didn’t want to answer, especially since he didn’t know this guy, but Remy piped up before he could say no. “Running from Wrath’s Blade. Counting on Chimera to keep Pat’s kids safe. Y’know how it goes.”

Thomas raised an eyebrow. “Damn. Well, I don’t know exactly how you ended up in this situation, but you can stay here for as long as you need. Andy set up signal jammers here a long time ago. No one can track you.”

Patton took a deep breath. “Look, I’m sorry for being so paranoid, but I need to be cautious because Wrath is trying to track me down. How do I know I can trust you?”

Thomas leaned against the counter and looked Patton dead in the eye. “Do you want the short explanation or the long explanation?”

“Whichever one makes you happy, babe,” Remy said, smirking at Thomas. Andy snorted and shoved more chips into her mouth.

Thomas cleared his throat and looked at the ground. “Short explanation it is.” He rolled up the sleeve of his robe and held out his forearm for Patton and Remy to see.

Remy lowered his sunglasses again. “Damn. Andy, you didn’t tell me your hot friend was a bad boy with tattoos.”

Wrapped around Thomas’ forearm was a tattoo of a bright yellow snake with two heads. One head looked as if it was lunging out of his skin with its fangs bared. The tail of the snake twisted around and rested on the back of his hand.

He lowered his sleeve. “I used to help Chimera protect victims Wrath was targeting. I’m not with them anymore, but I’m not gonna sell you out to Wrath.”

Patton raised a hand and scratched his left shoulder as he stared at Thomas’ arm. “Okay,” he said finally. He lowered himself onto the couch next to Remy, nails still scratching his shoulder through the denim. “I guess we can stay. For now.”

“Works for me,” Remy said, his gaze fixed on Thomas.

Thomas avoided Remy’s gaze and his face flushed. “I’ll go make up a guest bedroom. Andy, if you’re staying, you’re sleeping on the couch.”

Andy gave Thomas a thumbs up. Thomas turned and jogged up the stairs.

“He’s cute,” Remy said as soon as Thomas was out of earshot. He looked at Andy. “Andy, I have two questions.”

Andy shrugged. “Shoot.”

“One, is Thomas gay, and two, is Thomas single?”

“Yes and yes,” Andy said through a mouthful of chips. “Go get ‘em, tiger.”

Remy went to stand up, but Patton grabbed his sleeve and pulled him back down onto the couch. “No, you are not flirting with the man who is keeping us safe.”

Remy deflated like a balloon. “But why not?”

“Because we’re running from a super dangerous gang and we can’t afford to make attachments, especially not with someone we just met. We don’t know if we can trust him yet. And I know that’s super hypocritical of me to say considering I will get emotionally attached to a butterfly if it lands on my hand for less than a minute, but seriously. Remy, this is dangerous and scary.”

Remy sighed. “Pat, I hate to break it to you, but you need to loosen up. I know our lives are in danger, but you can relax here. You trust me, I trust Andy, and Andy trusts Thomas, so I think we can trust him, too. Besides, he used to work with Chimera. Chimera’s better than Wrath, more or less. This guy can help us if you let him.”

Patton gripped his shoulder, digging his nails through the denim jacket. Remy was right. As much as Patton couldn’t afford to trust everyone he came across, he couldn’t afford to trust no one at all. If Andy and Thomas could keep him safe and figure out how to throw Wrath off his trail, maybe it would be worth it to stay for a bit.

He leaned back on the couch. He may have been safe for now. He could only hope the same for his kiddos.

*******

Janus still had no idea what to do about the children in his office.

The twins weren’t too disruptive. They simply messed up all his couches to make a pillow fort and continued to do so for the next fifteen minutes. They were a little louder than Janus would have liked, but he said nothing about it and tried to focus on his work. It wasn’t too difficult to ignore them and keep sending emails and calls.

Things got a little louder when the kids opened their backpacks and started playing with some toys they’d brought along, but Janus figured he could bear it. However, it was much harder to stay focused with the kids shouting about robots and princes and cars and a variety of other things that Janus didn’t particularly care about.

He stared at his computer screen, trying to come up with words to write so he could assign someone to kidnap a specific person who hadn’t yet repaid their debts, but his thoughts were constantly interrupted by the two twins squealing at each other and laughing. He wished they would be quieter. It was impossible for him to work like this! Was this what it was like to have kids all the time?

One of them screamed happily, and Janus clenched his fists in annoyance. “Can you be quiet?” he snapped.

The squealing and shouting stopped as if someone had pressed a mute button on a TV. He glanced up past his screen and saw the two kids staring at him. The one in the red shirt, Roman, hunched his shoulders and disappeared into the pillow fort they’d made. The other one, Remus, narrowed his eyes at Janus. He crawled into the fort after his brother.

Janus took a deep breath. At least now it was quiet.

He kept working. The only sounds he heard were the hushed whispers of the kids in their fort. Well, it was better than the screeching and yelling, at least.

He paused in his work when he heard a different sound. One of the kids took a shaky breath. Was the kid... crying?

Janus blinked at the fort. He stood and quietly walked over to it, a little curious. He leaned down and brushed a blanket aside to look in.

The twins sat on a mess of blankets. Roman was huddled into Remus’ side, tears streaming down his face. Remus whipped his head up to glare at Janus with a fury that Janus didn’t think an eleven-year-old was capable of.

“You made him upset,” Remus said.

Janus straightened, staring down at the kids in confusion. Goodness, he’d never had to deal with crying children before. Was that purple haired teenager still around to fix this?

He let the blanket go so it covered the entrance to the fort. He turned on his heel and walked to the door, hoping that Virgil kid was still nearby.

He gently nudged the door open and peered into D.W.’s office. “Purple kid? Are you in here?”

His gaze fell on the emo teenager sitting on the couch at the other end of D.W.’s office. Both he and D.W. looked up when Janus stepped into the room.

“The red one is crying,” he said to Virgil. “How do I get him to stop?”

Virgil lowered the book he was reading. “What the hell did you do?”

“Nothing at all,” Janus said. “I simply asked them if they could be quieter.”

Virgil set the book down and stormed towards Janus and the door. “You can’t just yell at them! Roman’s sensitive!” He pushed Janus aside and entered his office.

Janus turned to stare at the kid. “I did not yell at them. I didn’t even raise my voice!”

Virgil ignored him and crouched down next to the blanket fort. He disappeared into the mess of blankets and pillows.

Janus turned to D.W. with an incredulous look on his face. “What did I do?”

D.W. shrugged. “Some kids are sensitive. You have to be careful with them.”

Janus sighed in exasperation. “I can’t keep track of their feelings, Dorothy. I’m busy working. How was I supposed to know the kid would cry if I asked him to quiet down?”

“How did you phrase it when you asked?”

“I just said ‘can you be quiet,’” Janus scoffed. “I didn’t think that would end up in crying.”

“What about your tone?”

Janus opened his mouth to respond, but his words got caught in his throat. “Oh,” he said instead, his voice quiet. “I suppose I was a little... snippy.” He never usually paid attention to how things might sound when he said them. He shouldn’t have been surprised that he accidentally snapped at the kids.

“Great, now I’m an asshole,” he muttered. “What time is it? I want this day to be over so we can go home.”

“Three o’clock,” D.W. answered.

Janus removed his hat for a moment to run a hand through his hair. This day was crawling along at an incredibly slow pace. He wanted nothing more than to go home, have dinner, take a hot bath, and crawl into bed.

But instead, he was stuck with a bunch of children.

D.W. turned in her chair so she was facing him. “Look, I’ll help you take care of them. I don’t really know shit about kids either, but you’re gonna need someone else to help you.”

A little bit of relief washed over Janus when she said that. “I don’t know what I would do without you, Dorothy.”

She shrugged and twisted her chair back to look at her computer. “You’d probably be dead by now.”

“You’re not wrong about that.” He straightened his hat. “I suppose I should monitor my tone when speaking to the children from now on. Thank you for pointing that out, D.W.”

He walked back towards his office. He paused when he passed the blanket fort, wondering if he should try to speak, maybe utter a quick apology or offer them help with anything they might need, but they seemed occupied in a quiet conversation amongst themselves, so he chose not to intervene. They could sort things out themselves.

He continued to his desk and sat down, ready to get back to work. He started typing out the email he’d been in the middle of writing when he was interrupted by the kids and their childish dilemma.

However, speaking of the kids, Patton had said to keep them as safe as possible. Being here with dozens of hitmen who could accidentally shoot the kids when startled might not be the best idea. Perhaps Janus and D.W. could work from home from now on, or at least limit their time in the office. But only until Patton returned to get his little rugrats off Janus’ hands. He didn’t think he could stay out of the office for too long.

Janus opened his desk drawer and grabbed one of his many unused flash drives. He plugged it into his computer and proceeded to copy all of his important files to it. If he was going to be more absent for the next who-knows-how-long, he would have to get someone to temporarily stand in for him. He would notify everyone that they could call or email him at any point if needed, but he would need someone present in his and D.W.’s place to solve smaller problems that didn’t warrant a phone call.

The door swung open. D.W. sauntered into the room with a large bag of chips and a package of cookies in her hands. She stopped in front of the pillow fort and nudged a blanket aside with her foot. She leaned down to place the bag of chips inside.

“You said you had snacks at three,” she said. “If you don’t want those, I can get you something else.”

The hushed voices from inside the fort stopped. “Thank you,” said a voice so quiet Janus couldn’t hear who it was that spoke.

D.W. let the blanket swing back over the entrance. She turned and walked towards Janus. “You’re eating something,” she ordered as she set the package of cookies on his desk. “No buts.”

Janus looked from the cookies to D.W.’s face. He didn’t have time to snack. He was busy.

However, he knew she wouldn’t stop bugging him until he actually ate. He sighed and reached into the package to grab a cookie. “Fine. By the way, I am thinking that we should limit our time here for the children’s sake. I don’t want them running into any hitmen and getting punched in the face for it. I was thinking we should only spend mornings here from nine to twelve, and then return home. Does that sound like a suitable plan?”

D.W. just smiled, obviously satisfied at the fact that she had gotten him to agree to eat something. “Whatever works for you, Jan.” She turned on her heel and walked to the door. “Enjoy your snacks.”

With that, she left his office and shut the door behind her.

Janus dejectedly bit into a cookie. He didn’t like random factors throwing a metaphorical wrench into his schedule, and these kids were like a whole toolbox being tossed into his life. Things were going to be very different from now on.

He glanced up at the blanket fort. A tiny bit of guilt had settled in his gut at the fact that he’d accidentally made one of the kids cry. Maybe an apology wouldn’t be a bad thing.

He took a deep breath and stood, trying to figure out what to say. As an afterthought, he grabbed the package of cookies in one hand. Children liked cookies, didn’t they? They might help smooth some ruffled feathers.

He walked across the room and stopped in front of the fort. He used one hand to lift a blanket out of the way, crouching down so he was on their level.

The teenager glared at him from within the blankets, the red twin huddled into his side. “You’ve done enough,” he growled.

The green twin crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes in a crude imitation of his older brother’s glower. Oddly enough, the eleven-year-old’s glare was almost scarier with the sheer amount of rage he was radiating. Virgil looked like his anger had settled into distaste and annoyance, but Remus looked like he could and would attack Janus as soon as his brother gave the word.

Janus suppressed a sigh. “Look, I... Roman, is it?”

The twin in the red shirt peeked out of Virgil’s hoodie fabric for a moment to look at Janus with a tear streaked face. Janus had hardly ever seen a child cry in his life, but the sight was truly... well, pitiful might be the best word to describe it. And sad.

He cleared his throat. “It has come to my attention that I snapped at you earlier. My intentions were never to cause you distress, but since that was the result, I apologize.” He offered the open package of cookies out to them. “Perhaps a few cookies might make up for it?”

Roman blinked. He looked from Virgil to Remus to the cookie package to Janus. He scooted out of Virgil’s embrace and reached for the package. He grabbed three cookies in his hand. With a shy glance at Janus’ face, he started munching on a cookie. “Thank you,” he mumbled through a mouthful of cookie.

Janus couldn’t help the small smile that appeared on his face. He offered the package to Remus. “You can have some as well.”

Remus’ eyes widened. His anger faded into suspicious curiosity. He glanced from Janus’ face to the package of cookies. Janus flinched as Remus lunged for the cookies and snatched a few in his hands at a speed he didn’t think the kid was capable of. Clutching his delicious prize in his hands, he scurried off further into the fort like a deranged raccoon after looting a garbage can.

Janus blinked. He shook off his surprise and turned to Virgil, offering the cookies to him. Virgil just glared in response.

Janus shrugged. “Alright. I’ll set them on the coffee table if you want any.”

Janus retreated from the fort and straightened. He took a couple more cookies from the package to snack on and set the rest on the coffee table that was currently covered with a blanket.

Over the course of the next couple hours, the kids played in their fort as Janus worked. He emailed one of the higher ranked agents, Magi Sailor, and told her that she would be in charge of answering questions and such while Janus was away from the office. D.W. stopped in a few times, once with a book to give to Virgil that he had been reading prior to entering Janus’ office. Throughout that time, the twins kept their volume lower so as not to disturb Janus, which he was grateful for. Occasionally, they left the fort to grab cookies from the package Janus left them. The package was empty within an hour.

To Janus’ knowledge, Virgil hadn’t eaten a single one.


	9. Cool! Now I'm Going To Cry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Upon arriving at Mr. Chimera's home, Virgil realizes that he can't handle the stress of this huge change.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *rolls up to your house in a delivery truck* did any of you order a package of pure angst? you didn't? well you're getting it anyway, here you go

Virgil wanted more than anything to go back home.

He sat in Roman and Remus’ pillow fort and kept reading Fahrenheit 451, thanks to D.W. who brought it in for him to continue. He munched on the chips she’d brought them. He was grateful that at least she was at least putting in some effort. He knew Remus might not be comfortable around her for a while for his own reasons, but Virgil personally saw no problem with her. That didn’t mean he trusted her, though.

He lost track of time as the twins played with their toys and ate cookies. Eventually, when someone yanked back the blanket over the entrance of the fort, he jumped in surprise and almost threw his book at them.

Mr. Chimera peered into the fort. “It’s time to leave, if that’s alright with the three of you.”

Virgil just narrowed his eyes at him. He didn’t want to talk to this guy any more than he had to.

Roman and Remus, however, seemed to have gotten over Janus snapping at them earlier. “Where are we going?” Remus asked eagerly.

“Back to my house,” Mr. Chimera answered. “For your sake, I will limit the time we spend here in the office, so most of your time will be spent at my place.” He let the blanket cover the entrance again. Virgil heard his footsteps walk back across the room.

Virgil glanced at the page number he was on and shut his book. He would have been perfectly content to stay here for the rest of the day. He didn’t want to go to some new location where there might be new people—oh god, what if Mr. Chimera was married and had kids? Then Virgil and the twins would be intruding on their lives, and Virgil would have to introduce himself to them and they might think he’s weird because of all the piercings Patton let him get and his purple hair and all his weird fidgeting habits and they might even judge Patton for letting Remus bleach a streak in his hair at such a young age and—

He felt a hand on his knee and looked up. Roman sat next to him with a smile on his face. “It’s okay,” Roman said. “Nothing’s wrong. We’re just going somewhere else.”

Virgil took a deep breath. Roman was right. Everything was okay right now. Nothing bad was happening in this moment.

He slung his backpack straps over his shoulders and clutched the book D.W. lent him close to his chest. He put his bat pendant in his mouth and crawled out of the fort alongside Remus.

Mr. Chimera was busy placing folders and papers into a briefcase on his desk. He closed it and latched it shut before grabbing the handle and holding it at his side. He strode to the door without a word.

Roman and Remus scurried after him. Virgil hesitated, unwilling to follow this guy anywhere, but he didn’t have much of a choice. He gnawed on his bat pendant and followed them, clutching his backpack straps tight.

Mr. Chimera held the door open for the twins. He kept it open until Virgil left his office, then pushed it shut. “D.W., are you ready to leave?”

D.W. stood up from her desk, her own briefcase in hand. “Yep. You let Magi know she’s in charge?”

Mr. Chimera nodded. “Come on,” he said to the kids, walking to the door.

Virgil turned to D.W. as she followed after Janus. He opened his mouth to ask if he should give her book back, but he swallowed the words before they were out of his mouth. It sounded like a stupid question. Of course he would have to give it back! It was hers, after all. He couldn’t just keep it.

He set the book on the corner of her desk and hurried after the group. He glanced down at the yellow snake pin he’d put on his sweater earlier. He didn’t really want to wear something that associated him with this weird business, but if it would keep him more or less safe, he might as well keep it on. He just wasn’t sure if it was supposed to stay in this place or if he was allowed to wear it outside. He covered it up with his backpack strap just in case.

They left D.W.’s office. Mr. Chimera led them down the hallway directly in front of them, and Virgil glanced into the corridors that branched off from this one as they passed.

“What exactly is this place?” Virgil asked before he realized what he was saying.

Mr. Chimera glanced back at him. “Pardon?”

Virgil gulped, anxiety flaring, but he took a deep breath to calm himself. “This clearly isn’t just a banking business. What’s with all the halls down here?”

Mr. Chimera turned back around to face the front. “Living quarters,” he answered. “We have... employees here who prefer to live here for their own safety.”

“Is this the only floor below the bank?” Virgil asked.

Janus paused. “No.” He didn’t elaborate further.

Virgil watched as Roman and Remus excitedly ran down the hall. Virgil hoped Remus’ leg wouldn’t give out from all the running and walking he’d done today.

They reached a set of elevator doors at the end of the hallway. A couple people stood in front of them, chatting amongst themselves. They spotted Mr. Chimera and nodded in greeting. Virgil gave both of them a quick once over. Neither person was dressed like they should be working in a bank. One wore a white leather jacket, a bright yellow snake printed on the back, which clashed with her purple hair in its pigtails. The other wore her dark hair in a tight ponytail that rested on the shoulder of her black polo shirt. A blue necktie accentuated the outfit. He wouldn’t have given her a second thought, but a holster rested on her hip with a gun tucked into it. Oddly enough, her face looked a little like Mr. Minder’s. Her outfit looked like what he usually wore too, minus the gun.

The woman with the gun turned and left with a nod of acknowledgement at the group. The lady with the purple hair bounced on her feet, which Virgil only just now noticed were covered by knee-high white boots. A purple skirt swished around her legs.

Mr. Chimera pressed a button on the elevator. “Hello, Magi,” he said to the woman.

The lady turned to look at him and Virgil caught a glimpse of her face. Purple makeup covered her eyes, and her red lips stretched into a smile. “Hey there, Jannie. You said you need someone to hold down the fort while you’re gone?” Her eyes drifted across the kids and she whirled around to face them with an excited gasp. “Oh, you must be the darling things he mentioned in his email! Aren’t you the cutest things!” Remus flinched at her loud voice and hid behind Virgil.

Mr. Chimera cleared his throat. “Miss Sailor. We are going to be spending more time at my house. Are you able to carry out some simple duties in my absence?”

“Well, sure thing, Jannie! You can count on me!”

The elevator doors opened. Janus ushered Roman and Remus in. D.W. followed, and Virgil reluctantly stepped in after them. He placed himself between Remus and Miss Sailor, just to help Remus feel a bit safer. Miss Sailor pressed one of many buttons. Virgil stared at all the numbers, wondering just how many floors there were in this place.

“You don’t have to worry about a thing,” Miss Sailor said to Janus. “I’ll take care of everything while you’re busy.”

A hand tugged on Miss Sailor’s jacket. Virgil glanced down to see Roman standing next to her, staring upward as if transfixed by her hair.

Roman let go of her jacket and pointed up at Virgil. “You have the same hair.”

Miss Sailor turned to Virgil, and his anxiety made his entire body tense at the thought of interacting with someone he only just met. She smiled even wider, which Virgil didn’t think was possible.

“Well, look at that!” she exclaimed. “We sure do! Lovely dye job, by the way. Who did that, if you don’t mind me asking?”

Virgil fiddled with his sleeves, looking anywhere but her eyes. “Did it myself.” His voice was hardly a whisper compared to her excited chatter. He silently cursed himself for not speaking louder.

“Wow, you are skilled,” she chirped. She lifted one pigtail. “I don’t think I coulda done this on my own!”

The elevator doors opened. Virgil found himself walking closer to D.W. as they stepped out into a well-lit room. It took him a moment to realize that they had ended up in the main bank area, just behind the counter.

Miss Sailor skipped over to one of the empty teller chairs. “Have fun, Jannie! Let me know if you need anything else!”

Mr. Chimera skirted around the counter and made a beeline for the door. D.W. and the others trailed after him. Roman smiled and waved at Magi, and she waved back as they passed. Virgil kept his grip tight on his backpack strap and stuck his bat necklace back into his mouth. A dozen scenarios wandered through his head. Did Mr. Chimera have any family living at home with him? Would they hate Virgil and the twins? Would he devolve into a cruel, anger-fueled asshole the second they were out of the workplace? Would he just dump the kids in a random room and leave them to their own devices with no help at all?

They left the building. Mr. Chimera led them around to the parking lot in the back. Virgil felt Roman grab his hand and give it a reassuring squeeze, which did help to ease his anxiety a little, but it also made him feel a little pathetic. He was fifteen years old! He should be able to handle himself! He shouldn’t need an eleven-year-old to take care of him!

They approached a sleek black car, the same one Virgil had seen D.W. exit when she pulled up to the Starbucks earlier that day. D.W. went around to the driver’s side as Mr. Chimera approached the passenger door.

He grabbed the door handle of the back of the car and opened it. He stepped aside, holding the door open like he was some sort of chauffer. “Come on, then,” he prompted.

Roman and Remus dashed for the open door. Mr. Chimera flinched back in surprise as Remus leaped into the backseat, followed by an equally excited Roman. Virgil couldn’t suppress a snicker at his startled face.

Virgil hefted his bag and trudged to the car. He didn’t spare Mr. Chimera a second glance as he slid into the seat.

As Mr. Chimera shut the door and sat in the passenger seat next to D.W., it gave Virgil a moment to process just how nice the inside of the car was. The leather seats were the most comfortable thing he’d ever sat on. He had so much leg room between his seat and Mr. Chimera’s, he could stretch his legs out all the way. There was an outlet in front of the middle seat so they could plug in their phones if needed, and the air conditioner must have been going earlier, because it was nice and cool inside the car.

He hated it.

He hunched his shoulders and sank into his seat with a scowl. He wished he could have been in Patton’s old station wagon, with its worn out seats that had been used countless times to take Roman and Remus to drama club, and its AC that broke every summer, and its radio that didn’t work half the time so Virgil would plug in his own music to listen to while Patton was driving. This was unfamiliar and strange. It felt like no one had inhabited the backseat of this car in ages.

D.W. pulled the car out of the parking lot and into the street. Remus, who was sitting in the other window seat, turned his attention to the window in the door. He flicked the switch back and forth, rolling the window up and down. He always did the same in Patton’s vehicle, like it was a habit. He rolled the window down and then back up six times in a row. Whenever Virgil asked why he did that, Remus didn’t answer or just avoided the question.

Virgil gazed out the window as they drove through the streets. He hardly ever came uptown. There were more stores along the sidewalk, and he spotted a mall at one point. The downtown area was a bit less populated from what he saw. There were more diners and cafes than chain restaurants, and smaller local stores rather than Walmarts and malls. It was a lot nicer downtown. He didn’t like being here in this busy area of the city.

It didn’t take long to reach their destination. They ended up driving out to the edge of town to an area that was taken up by huge houses, so big he would probably classify them as mansions. He spotted one with a three-car garage and a front lawn bigger than Dad’s entire house. Rich people always had to take up as much room as they could, didn’t they?

They drove into a cul-de-sac and pulled into the driveway of one of the slightly smaller mansions. D.W. parked the car and opened her door. “We’re here.”

Virgil opened his door and stepped out of the car. He gazed up at the house in front of them. It was two stories high, painted white with a wraparound porch. Two beautiful columns framed the stairs that led to the doorway, as well as a balcony on the second floor right above the porch. Two more columns held up the roof over the corners of the porch. There were four windows on each side of the front of the house, each one with a set of shutters. A flowerbed traced the house below the porch. A variety of flowers sprouted from the dirt, providing a pop of colour from the otherwise colourless house.

D.W. and Mr. Chimera grabbed their briefcases from the back of the car and made their way to the door. Roman and Remus hurried after them, but Virgil hesitated. This place didn’t look like home. He couldn’t see himself actually being able to settle down here, not even for a week.

However, he didn’t have much of a choice. He trudged forward, chewing on his necklace to calm his nerves.

Mr. Chimera pushed the door open and flicked on the light switch. “Welcome to your temporary home,” he said.

Virgil followed the twins inside. A wide open spacious room greeted them. To the left were couches and chairs, with soft pillows and blankets draped all over them. The large windows in the walls were covered with their shutters, but sunlight from the setting sun peeked through. To the right were bookshelves, and a TV was propped on a wooden coffee table in the far wall. Directly ahead across the room was a hallway with one door at the end and two in the walls to the sides. Another door sat in the wall off to the right, and another one was in the wall perpendicular to it, next to the hallway.

Roman’s mouth fell open as soon as they stepped inside. “Oh my God, you live in a castle,” he whispered.

D.W. smiled. “Well, it’s not the biggest castle, but it works for us.”

“Is it only the two of you?” Virgil asked. He stared down the hallway, half expecting someone to walk through the door at the end.

“Sometimes,” Mr. Chimera answered, which didn’t really ease Virgil’s nerves. Mr. Chimera set his briefcase down next to one of the couches. “D.W. can show you to your bedrooms while I get started on dinner.” He walked down the hallway and disappeared into the door on the left.

D.W. walked across the room to the right towards the door next to the hall. “Come on, kiddos.”

Virgil stiffened at the nickname. Dad always called them “kiddos”, and as far as he was concerned, he was the only one who could call them that.

He kept his mouth shut and just followed her to the door. Roman and Remus ran after her, all too eager to explore this new place they had found themselves in. D.W. opened the door and the kids followed her through.

They ended up in a dining room. A decent sized table took up most of the room. Directly to the right was another door. D.W. led them through, and they ended up in a stairwell. The stairs led upward and took a sharp turn to the left.

Remus’ shoulders slumped when he saw the stairs. “My knee hurts,” he whispered.

Virgil didn’t think he could carry Remus up a flight of stairs, but he held out his arms. “I gotcha, Ree.”

Remus raised his arms and let Virgil hoist him up. Virgil struggled a little with the weight, but he tried not to show how much effort it took to lift Remus. He started up the stairs after D.W., who was already on the landing at the turn in the stairs. Roman ran ahead of the two to catch up with D.W.

“I’m sorry,” Remus muttered. “I wish I could walk upstairs on my own.”

“It’s okay, Remus,” Virgil reassured him. “I don’t mind.”

Remus rested his chin on Virgil’s shoulder. “Dad could do this if he was here.” He wrapped his arms tighter around Virgil. “I don’t like this guy. Why couldn’t Remy take care of us?”

Virgil swallowed. How was he supposed to answer that? “It’s complicated,” he said finally. “Dad’s in some trouble and Mr. Chimera is going to keep us safe until Dad comes back. Remy is trying to keep Dad safe.”

He reached the landing and looked up at D.W., who had already reached the top of the stairs. D.W. glanced behind her to see if they were behind her. She set her briefcase down and started back down the stairs towards them. “Oh, sorry, I can help if you need—”

“I got him,” Virgil interrupted, feeling Remus tense up in his arms. Remus clearly didn’t want to be close to her. Virgil wasn’t going to hand him off to her just because she could carry him easier.

D.W. picked up her case and walked back up the stairs, where Roman was waiting. They reached the top of the stairs and turned to the left. A short hallway stretched ahead of them, a door on either side. It lead into another open living space. D.W. set her briefcase next to the door on the left and continued out into the living area.

Virgil and Roman followed. A door stood in the opposite wall, leading out to the small balcony at the front of the house. The living space was smaller than the one downstairs, but it still housed its fair share of couches and armchairs. Two doors sat in each wall to the left and right.

D.W. gestured to the four doors. “Those are the bedrooms. Those ones are smaller,” she said, pointing to the doors to the right of the room, “so I don’t know if you guys all want your own rooms or if you want to stick together—”

“That works,” Virgil said. He set Remus down. “I’ll take a smaller one. You two stick together.”

Roman and Remus exchanged a glance that Virgil couldn’t quite decipher. “You sure?” Roman asked.

Virgil nodded and hefted his backpack. “I’ll be fine. Go get settled.”

Roman and Remus seemed to hesitate a little, but they turned and walked side by side to one of the bigger bedrooms. Virgil started for the smaller rooms, but he was pulled to a stop by his backpack.

He whirled around and D.W. let go of his bag. “Listen, kid,” she said, her voice soft as if he was a piece of glass that might shatter if she spoke too loud. “I know this situation is scary and it’s going to take a while to adjust. You don’t have to be afraid to ask for help. If you don’t want to talk to Janus, that’s fine. You can always come see me if you have a problem. My room is just down there.” She pointed down the hall to the door she’d set her briefcase in front of. “I’ll be there if you ever need me during the night.”

With that, she turned and walked to her room. Virgil stood there, wondering why she was so open to helping him. He only met her that day. Was she trying to be condescending? He couldn’t tell.

He walked to the bedroom across from Remus and Roman’s. He opened the door. Inside the room, the walls were all white, as were the sheets and comforter on the bed. A wooden dresser sat off to the side next to the closet doors. It was completely empty, void of any sign of life.

He stared at it. The thought of staying in this blank room in this house made an awful feeling settle in his stomach. This wasn’t home. He had left his home in favour of this washed out lifeless mansion, he didn’t know where Dad was or if he was even alive, Roman and Remus would have to adjust with Dad’s permanent absence if he died, all of their personal belongings were left behind in their home, their _real_ home, not this rich person’s empty mansion...

Virgil reached into his pocket and took out the letter Dad had given him. He still hadn’t read the rest of it. He wasn’t even sure if he wanted to. If Dad turned up dead in a few weeks, Virgil didn’t want to waste his last words to him right now.

Knowing that the letter might be the last time Dad would ever speak to Virgil made that bad feeling in his gut grow more intense. Everything had been fine just yesterday. It was just a normal day. Dad made pancakes for breakfast with Roman’s help, Remus had insisted they all go out to the nearest diner for lunch, and Virgil and Dad had made homemade pizza for supper. Virgil had watched three Disney movies in a row with Roman and gone outside to play with Remus that afternoon. Dad had put them all in bed that night with his usual smile and a kiss on the forehead. Nothing had been different. Nothing had warned them about this sudden drastic change, the danger they would all be in, the people they would be stuck with.

Virgil took off his backpack and dropped it on the floor. He leaned against the closed door, holding Dad’s letter close to his chest as the bad feeling in his stomach grew. Now that he was alone, all the bad feelings he’d been suppressing all day bubbled up to the surface. He missed Dad. He wanted to go home. He wanted to take Roman and Remus out of this place, go find Dad, and drive home in Dad’s old station wagon while blasting MCR from the speakers.

Tears welled up in his eyes. He wiped them away, but once they were out, it was like a dam broke inside him. His breath hitched with sudden sobs. He put a hand over his mouth in an attempt to stifle them, but he couldn’t stop crying now that he’d started. The bad feeling in his gut spread to the rest of his body, and he slid to the floor and curled into a ball as if that would stop it. He missed Dad. He wanted to go home. Why did this have to happen now? Why did this have to happen at all?

He pulled his hood over his head and clutched Dad’s letter with both hands, being careful not to fold or crinkle the paper. He wiped his eyes with his sleeve, vaguely aware that it would smudge his eyeshadow. He didn’t want to be here. He wanted to find Dad. He didn’t even know if Dad was alive or if the people he was running from had found him and killed him. Or maybe they had found him and hadn’t killed him yet, they were doing something worse, something awful and painful—

Virgil choked out a sob at the thought. He set the letter aside so it wouldn’t get crumpled and instead grabbed his backpack. He folded his legs criss-cross-applesauce, unzipped his backpack, and grabbed the cat plushie Patton had given him long ago. Roman had named it Ms. Snuffles the moment he saw it, and just the memory of that, when they were all together as a family, made Virgil want to cry harder.

He hugged Ms. Snuffles and let the tears fall.


	10. Cuddling With My Hot Friend In Bed Is Totally Platonic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Patton is stressed about his current situation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS!
> 
> -food warning for the beginning of the chapter! it's nothing descriptive, but if you'd like to skip over the mentions of food, scroll to the paragraph that starts with "Patton trudged up the stairs". 
> 
> -smoking warning because Remy does smoke in this chapter, so if you'd like to skip over that part, stop at "He stood and walked to the window" and start again at "Patton retreated from the window and pushed it shut." 
> 
> -warning for the presence of a gun! it's very brief, but you can stop at "Do you think we're going to get out of this alive?" and continue at "Patton leaned down and reached into the pocket of his denim jacket."
> 
> i don't know how many warnings i needed to put for anything in this chapter, but i thought i would include some basic warnings that i've seen people use before. if there's anything i missed, let me know. if you'd like to skip over the chapter altogether, i'll leave a quick summary in the end notes!

Patton could not stop worrying.

He couldn’t stop worrying when Thomas showed him and Remy to the guest room. He couldn’t stop worrying when Remy went outside to move his motorcycle into the garage. He couldn’t stop worrying when Thomas went out alone to get supper from the nearest fast food place.

Patton could tell Remy was starting to get concerned for him. Patton couldn’t blame him. It must have been concerning to see Patton so uncharacteristically anxious.

But Patton just couldn’t help it. His kiddos were more or less safe, but he didn’t know how they would adjust to living with Janus. Would Janus get annoyed by Remus’ habitual tics and his inability to walk for too long? What about Roman’s sensitive emotions? Not to mention Virgil’s anxiety, along with his near constant stimming and occasional meltdowns. He didn’t adjust well to change, either, so he might get angry and snap at Janus, and who knew how Janus would react to that?

And then there was the ever-present threat of Wrath’s Blade lurking around the corner. If they hadn’t followed the kids to Chimera, they certainly had people stationed nearby that would have at least seen the kids go in. There was no doubt in his mind that they knew exactly where his kiddos were, and who was to stop them from trying to break in and grab the kids so they could keep them hostage until Patton gave himself up?

“You okay there, padre?”

Patton jumped and looked behind him. Andy sat on the kitchen counter, a container of chicken nuggets in her lap. She stared at Patton with a confused sort of curiosity.

Patton gave her a polite smile. “I’m fine, thanks for asking.”

Remy glanced up from the TV screen, which was showing an episode of The Office. “Darling, you do not look okay,” he said. “You look like shit.”

“Really? I thought I looked like a dad,” Patton said automatically.

Thomas snorted from where he sat on the couch wrapped in a blanket. “Good one.”

Remy sighed and rolled his eyes. “Thomas, honey, Patton’s bad jokes aren’t the issue here.” Remy took a French fry from his container and pointed it at Patton. “Pat, you need to relax for a bit. The issue with your kids is currently out of our hands. We can’t contact Mr. Chimera, we can’t contact your kids, we can’t go back to the city and pick them up to take them with us, we can’t do anything. There is nothing we can do. We’ve made the decision to come here, and we need to settle into it. Let’s just watch The Office and chill out, okay babe? Now eat your onion rings or I’ll eat them for you.”

Patton looked down at the little bag of onion rings in his hands. He didn’t feel like eating. He felt like running all the way back to the city himself to be with his kiddos.

His left index finger twitched as his anxiety spiked. He clenched his fist to stop it.

Patton dejectedly munched on his food and tried to focus on whatever the heck was happening on the TV screen. Thomas seemed totally invested in the show. Patton wouldn’t be surprised if the guy completely forgot he had company. Andy was ignoring the show, gaze fixated instead on the screen of her laptop. Remy seemed less invested in the show and more interested in Thomas. It was hard for Patton to keep his attention on the show when no one else but Thomas seemed to be paying attention to it.

He finished off his food and stood up, his fast food wrappers in hand. “Thomas, sorry to be a bad guest, but would it be alright if I went to bed now?”

Thomas looked up at Patton and blinked as if he’d forgotten he was even there. “Hm? Oh, yeah sure. Go ahead. You can shower if you want. Bathroom’s right across from the guest room.”

Patton stepped past Remy and walked to the stairs. He muttered a quick apology as he skirted around Thomas, but Thomas didn’t seem to notice or care.

Patton trudged up the stairs, clutching his black denim jacket around his shoulders. He hadn’t taken it off, nor had he taken off his backpack. If he had to run, he didn’t want to be forced to leave his stuff behind.

He walked down the hall to the room Thomas had prepared for Patton and Remy. He flicked on the light switch. It was a fairly small room, but it would work for them. He took off his backpack, tossed it to the floor, and threw his food wrapper into the trash can. He might as well shower while he was relatively safe. He didn’t know if he would get a chance later if he had to run away.

He told himself he would only have a short shower as he stripped off his clothes in the bathroom. However, as soon as he stepped under the warm water, all the tension that had built up in his muscles seemed to wash away down the drain. He was safe, at least for now. He could afford to have a shower longer than five minutes.

He took a much needed deep breath and leaned against the wall, letting the water wash over him. He had been so unprepared to go on the run like this. He wished he’d had more time to mentally steel himself for this situation. Of course, he knew it would happen eventually. He would have to be stupid to think he could ever escape from Wrath. It was inevitable that they would track him down. He guessed he’d just managed to trick himself into thinking everything was fine, that maybe Wrath wouldn’t come for him and he could live peacefully with his kiddos.

God, what an absolute fool he’d been to believe that lie he told himself.

He ran a hand through his hair. All the anxiety he felt earlier left him with one great sigh of relief, leaving him weary and tired. He would either sleep like a baby tonight or not be able to sleep at all for fear of Wrath finding him. There was no way to tell.

He absently scratched at his left shoulder. It was his fault Remy was in danger with him, and the thought sent a pang of guilt through his heart. Patton could have just run off on his own. He didn’t need to drag Remy into this.

Patton shook his head. No, he didn’t need to wallow in guilt right now. He just needed to relax.

He scrubbed some soap over his shoulders and took a deep breath. He was fine right now. He didn’t have to worry about Virgil or the twins or Janus or Remy or Wrath. All he had to do was chill out and settle into the decision he’d made.

A dull pain throbbed in his left shoulder and he winced. He glanced at it. He hadn’t realized he was scrubbing his shoulder so hard. The skin was red and raw.

He ran his hands through his hair instead. He should probably get out. He didn’t know how long he’d been in the shower.

He shut off the water and stepped out. He let his mind wander as he dried off and got dressed. He tried not to focus on Wrath or anything else that might trouble him, but it was hard not to think about those things. Those worries encompassed everything in his life at the moment.

Patton wrapped himself in a towel and made his way back to the room he was sharing with Remy so he could get dressed. Patton was more than ready to go to bed after the long day he’d had.

He rummaged through his backpack and grabbed a t-shirt. He would have loved to bring his cat onesie, but he didn’t have room for it.

He pulled on the clean shirt and a pair of boxers. He sat down on the bed. He didn’t know if he would even be able to sleep at all tonight. His thoughts might just keep him awake, but he couldn’t help it. He kept thinking about how Wrath might have followed them here. Maybe Wrath had found them and was just waiting for everyone to go to sleep so they could attack Patton while he was off his guard. What would they do with him then? Kill him? Demand ransom money to set him free? Torture him? Try to use him against Chimera somehow? The endless possibilities were all horrible.

He stood and walked to the window. He peeked out from behind the curtains to glance outside. He didn’t see anyone nearby. That was good, at least.

He spotted a tiny glowing speck outside below the window. He squinted and saw the dark silhouette of a person holding the glowing dot.

Patton unlocked the window and opened it. “Hey, Remy. Smoking something off?”

Remy looked up and lowered his cigarette. Smoke trailed from his mouth, and he grinned when Patton’s joke landed. “Nah, Thomas is still watching The Office. The guy’s hypnotized by it, I swear. Impossible to flirt with him when he’s only got eyes for John Krasinski.”

Patton shrugged. “Fair.” He waved away a cloud of smoke that drifted upwards.

“You feeling okay Pat?” Remy asked. He took a long inhale of his cigarette. “You seem really on edge.”

Patton snorted at the absurdity of the question. “Why wouldn’t I be on edge?”

“Fair point.” He blew a plume of smoke from his mouth. “You wanna talk about anything?”

Patton sighed and ran a hand through his hair. There were a few things he was worried about, but he didn’t want to dump everything onto Remy all at once.

“I’m worried about being on the run,” Patton admitted. He didn’t want to disclose anything else. Besides, Remy probably already figured that he was worried about Virgil and Janus and the twins.

“What about it is worrying you?”

Patton’s left pointer finger twitched again. “I don’t know, I just don’t want anyone to catch up to us. Wrath could find us. Maybe Chimera could even come after us if Janus doesn’t want to deal with the kids. The cops might come after us, too.”

Remy gave him a sympathetic smile. “Pat, babe, I know things are stressful right now, but you can chill. We’re safe.” He took a drag from his cigarette. “Would it make you feel better if I came inside?”

Patton hesitated. It would make him feel better. Remy was outside, and anyone could see him, but Patton didn’t want to be a bother.

However, Remy must have understood the look on his face. “I’ll be right there, hon.” He stamped out his cigarette and turned to the door.

Patton retreated from the window and pushed it shut. He felt bad interrupting Remy, but with all these concerning thoughts swimming around in his head, he didn’t want to be alone. He needed someone to be there and tell him everything was going to be fine, even if it wasn’t.

The bedroom door swung open and Remy strolled in. “Get in bed, babe. You need your rest.”

Patton sat on the bed with a sigh. “Thanks, Rem.”

“No prob, honey.” He shucked off his jacket and tossed it next to where he’d thrown his bag of snacks earlier.

Patton pulled back the covers as Remy took off his jeans. “Rem?”

“Yeah?”

“Do you think we’re going to get out of this alive?”

Remy tossed his jeans aside and took his sunglasses off, brow furrowed. “Hmm. Honestly, Pat... I don’t know. I mean, I’ve run from gangs before, but this is a whole crime organization. Their morals aren’t exactly airtight.” He rummaged around in his mess of stuff. “I think we should be fine, but just in case...” He grabbed something from the mess and held it up. “I’m keeping this under my pillow.”

Patton stared at the pistol Remy held in his hand. “Where did you get that?”

Remy flicked off the light and sat on the bed. He scooted to the side closest to the wall. “I’ve had this thing for years, honey. You don’t need to know who I got it from.” He clicked the safety on and tucked the gun under his pillow. “You still got that knife I gave you?”

Patton leaned down and reached into the pocket of his denim jacket. He held up the pocket knife Remy had given him at the gas station earlier. “Yep.”

“Put that under your pillow. If anyone sneaks up on us, you’re in charge of slicing their head off. Or, y’know, just threatening them if murder ain’t your thing.”

Patton shoved the knife under his own pillow. Normally, having weapons around only made him more anxious, but now they made him feel a just little bit safer.

Remy slipped under the covers and lied down. “Come on, babe. Bedtime.” He patted the pillow on Patton’s side of the bed as an invitation.

Patton draped the covers over himself and lied down next to Remy. He stared up at the ceiling through the dark. “Rem?”

“Yeah, hon?”

“Can you just... tell me things are going to be okay? Even if you think they aren’t, can you just tell me they are?”

He felt Remy roll closer and wrap his arms around Patton’s waist. “You don’t have to worry about a thing, darling,” Remy said quietly. “We’re going to be perfectly fine. We’ll get to go home and you’ll get to be with your kiddos.” He snuggled up to Patton and ran a hand through his hair. “We’re gonna be okay.”

Patton knew Remy was likely lying, but he listened to Remy’s words anyway and told himself it was the truth. He took his glasses off and set them on the nightstand. Remy planted a kiss on Patton’s forehead as he tangled his fingers in Patton’s hair. Patton snuggled into Remy’s arms, trying to relax. 

They were fine. Everything was going to be okay.

It had to be okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> summary in case you skipped the chapter: Thomas, Andy, and Remy seem completely relaxed, but Patton is stressed and can't stop thinking about his kids possibly being in danger. The others are occupied in watching TV, but Patton can't focus, so he excuses himself and goes upstairs to get ready for bed. He gets lost in his anxious thoughts during a quick shower. Once he gets out and goes back to his room, he sees Remy outside and opens the window to talk to him. He asks Remy to come inside because he thinks he might feel better if he has company. He and Remy each put a weapon under their pillows just in case they need to defend themselves in the middle of the night. Remy reassures Patton that things will be okay even though neither of them believe it.


	11. My Nerd Boyfriend Is Stupid And I Love Him

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Janus tries to connect with the kids, but there seems to be more to them than meets the eye. He learns that the Hart family is close friends with someone Janus knows very well, and he wants to figure out how this person knows the Harts, but he doesn't expect that person to be outside on his balcony that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i didn't do a whole lot of editing for this chapter, so sorry if there are any typos!
> 
> WARNINGS:
> 
> there's food present at the beginning of the chapter. if you'd like to skip ALL mentions of food, you can skip over the first five paragraphs and keep reading after that, but stop reading again at "They emerged in the dining room" and start again at "Janus walked back to the hall and shouldered open the door to his own room."
> 
> there is also blood in this chapter, but only near the end! stop at "Janus turned the lock on the doors." again, there will be a brief summary of the chapter in the end notes in case anyone wants to skip over the whole thing, and if there are any trigger warnings that i missed, feel free to let me know so i can add them!

Janus placed the lasagna dish on top of the stove and took off his oven mitts. “D.W.,” he called. “Dinner’s ready.”

Footsteps pounded down the hall and D.W. burst through the door within seconds. “Lasagna?”

Janus nodded. “Dig in. I’ll get the children.”

D.W. rushed past him to dish up her food. He barely managed to conceal an eyeroll as she hurriedly grabbed a plate from the cabinet. D.W. loved his cooking more than she loved him.

He grabbed his jacket and tie from where he’d draped it over the counter so he could take them back to his room. He had spent the better part of an hour making supper. Hopefully, having three more people in the house would keep him and D.W. from having so many leftovers.

He walked through the dining room towards the door that led to the stairwell. Oddly enough, he wasn’t sure what to say to the children when he went to retrieve them. Was he supposed to formally invite them to dinner? Just yell down the hallway that there was food and wait for them to come scurrying out of their rooms like a pack of hungry rats?

He reached the top of the stairs and walked down the hall, tossing his jacket and tie into his room as he passed. He glanced back and forth between the doors on either side of the upstairs living space, wondering which kids he should speak to first. The twins might have a better reaction to his presence, but he got the feeling trying to convince Virgil to come downstairs with everyone else would be a bit of a hassle. Maybe he should get Virgil over and done with first.

Janus approached the door on the right and knocked. “Virgil? Dinner is ready.”

Silence. “I’m not hungry,” a quiet voice said finally.

Janus furrowed his brow. Was it just his imagination, or did it sound like Virgil had been... crying?

“Are you sure?” Janus asked. “If you’d like, I can bring something up for—”

“No,” Virgil snapped. Janus heard a sniffle from behind the door. “Go away.”

Janus hesitated. Oddly enough, he felt the urge to go inside and check on the kid to make sure he was okay. However, he wouldn’t know the first thing about dealing with an upset child. He decided to leave the issue alone. 

“Alright,” Janus relented. “If you’re sure.”

He turned and walked to the other door, trying to ignore the sinking feeling in his gut. “Roman, Remus,” he said as he knocked on it. “Dinner is ready.”

Rapid footsteps ran to the door. It opened a crack, and two pairs of brown eyes peeked out at him. “What are we having?” Roman asked.

“Lasagna.”

Roman and Remus exchanged a glance that Janus couldn’t decipher. They both burst out of the room and hurried down the hall to the door. Janus blinked, taken aback by their energy. They must have been hungry.

He followed them down the hall, straightening his hat as he walked. The two kids had stopped at the top of the stairs. Janus wondered why they weren’t running down to the kitchen, especially since they seemed so excited to get there at first.

Roman hopped onto the first step and held a hand up to Remus. “Come on.”

Remus seemed to hesitate, but he took Roman’s hand and stepped onto the stairs with his left foot, barely placing any weight onto his right. He followed Roman down the next couple steps that way until Janus caught up to them. He hadn’t noticed that one of the twins had a limp. Perhaps that was something in Patton’s letter that Janus hadn’t quite gotten around to reading yet.

He cleared his throat, and the kids both turned to look at him. “I can provide some assistance, if you need it,” he offered.

Remus shot a wary glance at Roman, who just nodded. Remus let go of his brother’s hand and turned to Janus. He didn’t meet Janus’ eyes as he raised his arms. With a start, Janus realized that offering his help meant carrying the kid.

He wouldn’t go back on his offer, however. He leaned down and picked the kid up. Remus wrapped his arms around Janus’ neck and his legs around Janus’ torso like a koala. Janus straightened, shifting Remus’ weight onto his hip. It had been a long time since he’d carried someone, especially a small someone, but it was easier than he remembered.

Janus felt a little awkward, but he started down the staircase, being very careful to keep his balance. He didn’t want to fall down the stairs when he was carrying a child.

Roman stuck close to Janus as they made their way down the stairs. He reached up and grabbed Remus’ shirt in one hand, as if making sure Remus wouldn’t fall out of Janus’ arms.

They reached the bottom and Roman let go so he could open the door. “Thank you, Roman,” Janus said as he stepped off the stairs.

They emerged in the dining room. D.W. was sitting at the table, scarfing lasagna into her mouth at an alarming rate. She paused momentarily to look up at Janus as he and the kids entered the room.

Janus glanced at Remus. “Would you like me to take you to the kitchen, or can you get there on your own?”

Remus avoided Janus’ gaze. “Down, please,” he mumbled.

Janus leaned down and set Remus on the floor. Remus immediately grabbed Roman’s hand and the two rushed across the room towards the door.

Janus smoothed out his shirt. He caught D.W. still staring and raised an eyebrow. “What?”

D.W. swallowed her mouthful of food. “Nothing.” She scooped up the last of her lasagna and stood. “I’m going back for seconds,” she muttered through a mouthful of food.

Janus walked up to her and tried to match her pace so they were walking side by side. “Is the meal adequate?”

D.W. snorted. “Stop using words like ‘adequate’. You’re starting to sound like Logan.”

“I can’t help that his endearing vocabulary is rubbing off on me.” Janus nudged the door open and walked across the hall with D.W. “Have you heard him when he’s ranting about philosophy?”

“Unfortunately, yes.” She paused and furrowed her brow when they entered the kitchen. “Uh, kid? What are you doing?”

Janus followed her gaze. Roman had grabbed two plates from the cabinet and had dished up some food onto both. Remus, however, was leaning over the stove to reach the buttons that turned on the oven. He pressed the off button multiple times.

“The oven is off, Remus,” Janus said, a little confused. Janus had turned the oven off before he even went upstairs.

Remus skittered away from the stove, clutching his hand close to his chest. His eyes were wide. He stood and stared at them, completely still, like a deer in headlights. “Sorry,” he said. “I—I didn’t meant to. I won’t do it again.”

He took the plate Roman offered him. Janus raised an eyebrow as Roman and Remus hurried to the dining room. That was an... interesting development.

Janus put that out of his mind and grabbed a plate for himself. There was no use trying to figure out something he didn’t understand. He’d read through the rest of Patton’s letter later.

Dinner was quiet. D.W. was already on her second helping of food, which she decided to take her time on instead of scarfing it down like a heathen. Roman and Remus sat in their chairs and stayed silent as they picked away at their food. While Roman was making some decent headway with his food, Remus had hardly touched his plate. He didn’t look up even once.

Janus had just finished his food when he decided he couldn’t stand the silence anymore. “Remus?”

Remus looked up from his half-finished meal to stare at Janus with wide eyes. He didn’t respond, but Janus had his attention.

“Is something the matter?” Janus inquired.

Remus turned his gaze downward again. “I’m sorry you had to carry me down the stairs,” he mumbled. “And I’m sorry I pressed the buttons on the oven. I won’t do it again, I promise. Just please don’t...” He shrank down in his seat and scratched at his arm under its sleeve.

Janus blinked. That was what the kid was worried about? _Children_. They focused on the littlest things to get concerned about.

“It was no issue,” Janus reassured him. “I’m perfectly capable of helping you up and down the stairs whenever you need it. As for the oven, it’s no matter to me. It may confuse me, but it doesn’t bother me.”

Remus was silent for a moment. “Really?”

“Yes.” He stood and picked up his plate. “I hope the meal is alright. I mean, it’s not like I’m an experienced chef who’s had years of practice, but it really has been a while since I’ve made this.” He reached for D.W.’s empty plate. “Are you going back for thirds, or should I start dishes?”

D.W. stood and took his plate from his hands. “No, you did dishes last night. It’s my turn.”

“Oh come on, Dorothy. Surely you know I am absolutely incapable of washing my own dishes by now.”

D.W. picked up her own plate. “My turn for dishes. No take-backsies.”

“You are acting like a child.”

“No, you.”

Janus scoffed. “Oh my goodness, fine. I’ll bring Virgil some food, see if he wants anything.”

“Sounds good, Jan.” D.W. took the dishes into the kitchen.

Janus followed after her. He grabbed a plate from the cabinet and scooped up a serving of food. Janus was supposed to be taking care of these kids, so he was going to at least try to get Virgil to eat something.

He carried the plate back to the stairs, shooting a glance the twins, who seemed to have gotten into a fairly one-sided conversation. He jogged up to the second floor.

Before he could knock on Virgil’s door, he hesitated. Virgil hadn’t wanted to speak to him earlier. It was possible that he would just tell Janus to go away again.

He knocked on the door. “Virgil?” he said quietly. “May I come in?”

No response.

Janus took a deep breath. He didn’t know how to deal with upset children. He tried to keep the exasperation from his voice so he wouldn’t accidentally snap at the kid.

“Virgil, it’s my job to take care of you, and that includes getting you to eat. Please, can you open the door? I brought food.”

His efforts were met with silence.

Janus heaved a sigh. “Can you at least give me a sign that you’re still in there and you haven’t run away?”

A soft thud met his ears when something hit the door.

“Thank you,” Janus said. He wanted to ask again if he could enter, but he didn’t want to push his limits. “I’ll leave the plate outside your door in case you want to eat later.”

He didn’t receive a response, so he just set the plate on the floor. He looked at the door, tempted to make another effort to somehow connect with this kid, but he figured Virgil likely wouldn’t even want to see him.

Janus walked back to the hall and shouldered open the door to his own room. He flicked on the lights, and a soft yellow light glowed from the lamps in the corners of his room. While his bed looked very inviting with its soft comforter and too many pillows, he had to get ready for bed before he actually crawled into it.

After brushing his teeth and having a quick shower (“quick” as in about thirty minutes long), he left his bathroom and flopped onto his bed. This had certainly been a long day. It was still quite early in the night, but D.W. was right. He did need his rest.

But first, he needed to figure out what to do about these kids.

He picked up his suit jacket and rummaged through the pockets for the letter Patton had given him. He scooted back so he was leaning against his headboard, and he grabbed a pillow and hugged it to his chest as he flipped open the envelope again.

He sifted through the papers Patton had tucked inside. He set the first one aside, the one he’d already read that asked Janus to watch the kids. The third paper was just a list of phone numbers. Janus would have someone do vigorous background checks on these people before he even considered calling them.

He turned to the page that held information on the kids. He grabbed a throw blanket from the end of his bed and draped it around his shoulders, settling into bed as if he was about to start reading a novel.

_Janus,  
Here’s some general information on my kiddos and how to take care of them. I know you’re a little inexperienced with caring for kids, and my kiddos can be a little different from most, so I figured I’d give you a little bit of advice.  
Roman is very emotional. Please, don’t snap at him if you can help it. He’ll probably start crying if shouted at. If he’s doing something he shouldn’t be, please try to work it out with him without getting angry.   
Remus has a bad knee that never healed properly. He can’t walk or run for long, and stairs are a problem. Virgil can carry him, but please be patient with them. Remus also has OCD. It’s undiagnosed because I don’t want any legal records connecting them to me, so therapists haven’t been an option, but their tutor/counselor has confirmed that pretty much every symptom matches up. If he does anything out of the ordinary, like triple checking that lights are shut off, that’s normal for him.  
Virgil has anxiety and autism, also undiagnosed. He has panic attacks, meltdowns, and shutdowns often. He cries a lot during meltdowns and sometimes screams. I know you’re familiar with this, but I’ll say it anyway: don’t try to restrain him during a meltdown. It’s similar for panic attacks, but he gets scared and may hyperventilate. In that case, physical touch can be comforting, but ask first. If you’re going outside with him, make sure he has his headphones. Also, he might not eat unfamiliar food, so if it’s not too much trouble, try asking him what he wants to eat. He knows some of the recipes I use, and cooking helps calm him down, so try cooking with him.  
I know you don’t adjust well to change, but I didn’t know who else to turn to. Thank you for taking care of my kiddos. If you need any more information, call their tutor, Logan Minder. He can help.  
Good luck and thank you,  
Patton_

Janus stared at the last small paragraph. Logan. Patton knew Logan. And Logan was the tutor of these kids?

That was... unexpected, to say the least. Everything else, Janus had either already assumed or was fully prepared to help with, but Logan? How did he know Patton?

Janus turned to the page with the list of phone numbers. He scanned it, and there he saw what he was looking for. Logan’s name and phone number was scribbled between the number for the kids’ drama instructor and the one for Patton’s niece. Janus read through each digit to make sure that it matched perfectly with the number he had in his contacts. Sure enough, it was Logan’s number.

Janus grabbed his phone from where he’d set it on the nightstand and went to his contacts. He brought up Logan’s number and pressed the call button. He held his phone to his ear, waiting for him to pick up.

Nothing.

Janus canceled the call. He tossed his phone to his bed and rested his chin on the pillow he was hugging. It seemed Logan was too busy to pick up at the moment. Janus would have to sort through this issue tomorrow.

He heard footsteps outside his door as D.W. went to her room. It was only just past nine. Still early, but it had been a long day for everyone. He might as well go to sleep.

He stood and walked across the room to the light switch. Before he could turn them off, however, someone knocked at his door. Janus jumped at the sound, but he shook off his surprise. He made a detour to the door. Pushing down his mild annoyance, he opened it.

Roman and Remus stood there, both glancing from Janus to the floor. Remus stood a little behind Roman as if using his brother as a shield. Both wore pyjama pants, Roman’s red and Remus’ green, with a t-shirt in the other twin’s respective colour.

“Can I help you?” Janus asked.

Remus nudged Roman. Roman looked up at Janus and gulped. “Sorry for bugging you, but Remus wants to know if the doors are locked and if you’re going to turn off your lights when you’re done.”

Janus hadn’t been expecting this, either, but at least now he knew why Remus was asking. “D.W. would have locked the doors when she was finished with the dishes, and yes, I will shut off my light when I go to sleep.”

Remus leaned forward and whispered something to Roman. “Can we go check if they’re locked?” Roman asked.

Janus tried not to get frustrated at the interruption to his nightly routine, but he stepped out of his room and flicked off the lights. “Of course.”

He walked with the kids to the stairs. Remus held up his arms, and Janus took that as his signal to help. He picked Remus up and walked downstairs, Roman clinging to Remus’ shirt like he had before.

They entered the dining room. Remus made no move to wriggle out of Janus’ arms, so Janus continued to carry him through the room and into the hall. Who would have thought that Janus Chimera, leader of one of the biggest crime rings in the southern half of the United States, would be wandering his own house at night in his pyjamas with a scared child in his arms? Anyone from Chimera who saw him like this would claim he’d gone soft.

They went down the hall towards the back door. Janus hefted Remus to one arm and leaned down to make sure it was locked. Sure enough, it was. D.W. never forgot to lock the doors.

Roman stepped forward and tried to turn the knob. It didn’t budge.

“Looks like this one’s locked,” Janus said.

Remus nodded to show he understood. Janus turned and walked back down the hall towards the front door, Roman in tow. Janus made sure it was locked, and Roman checked to make sure it couldn’t be opened.

“We’ll check the door up on the balcony, too,” Janus told the kids. “No one can get in through there, but D.W. always locks it anyway.”

Well, the part about no one being able to get in through there wasn’t exactly true. Agents from Chimera had scaled the building before and knocked on the balcony doors to ask for help before, which was the sole reason D.W. had started locking them in the first place. They didn’t need any late night visitors. Besides, if uninvited Chimera agents could get in, Wrath agents could get in, and the last thing Janus wanted to wake up to was a gun to his head. However, he didn’t want to tell that to the kids.

They walked back up the stairs, and Janus made a beeline for the balcony doors. Roman scurried after him in the dark hallway.

They stopped at the doors and Janus leaned down to check the lock, but he paused when something through the window caught his eye. Outside on the balcony, a dark shape that looked vaguely like a person was sprawled out on the floor.

A bolt of panic shot through Janus. He set Remus down and gently pushed both him and Roman away from the doors. “Roman, Remus, it appears there’s someone on the balcony. I’m going to need one of you to tell D.W. She should be in her room.”

The twins exchanged identical looks of fear. They ran off hand in hand to the hallway, shooting occasional glances back at Janus and the doors.

Janus turned the lock on the doors. He took a deep breath, preparing himself for a possible attack, and pulled the doors open.

When he didn’t get immediately run through with a knife, he allowed himself a moment to survey the situation. A grappling hook was latched over the railing of the balcony, the end of the rope attached lying discarded on the ground. The person on the ground looked as if they’d collapsed as soon as they climbed over the railing. Janus lowered his guard when he saw the yellow two-headed snake printed on the back of their leather jacket, but his anxiety shot up again when he saw the blood leaking from their torso onto the balcony floor. He could just barely make out the person’s features in the dim moonlight. They appeared to be a white person with dark hair and glasses, and a striped blue necktie stood out against their black polo shirt.

Oh, God.

Janus rushed forward and knelt next to the man. “Logan, what happened to you?”

He received no response. Janus gently cupped Logan’s face. “Logan, darling, please answer. What happened? How long have you been here?”

Footsteps ran towards him and he looked back to see D.W. rushing for the balcony, wearing a tank top and a pair of shorts, revealing the prosthetic that replaced her right leg. Her hair was sticking up in all directions like she’d just rolled out of bed. She clutched a pocket knife in her hands and stared at Janus and Logan with wide eyes. Roman and Remus stood behind her, those fearful looks still on their faces. Remus’s attention flickered back and forth between Logan’s body on the balcony and D.W.’s prosthetic leg.

D.W. lowered the knife when she saw what was happening. “Holy shit, what happened to him?”

“I don’t know,” Janus whispered, fear for Logan rising in his chest. “He isn’t responding.”

Logan’s body lurched as a cough expelled from his throat. He wheezed in a breath and coughed again. Janus put a hand on Logan’s back, the other still cupping his cheek as Logan hacked. Logan’s expression twisted into one of pain. He pulled away from Janus to spit on the balcony. A glob of blood splattered on the floor. Blood trickled down his chin, and Janus wiped it away with his thumb.

“Logan, honey, what happened?” Janus repeated softly. He gently rubbed Logan’s back in an attempt at comfort. He was painfully aware of the feeling of the leather jacket on his ungloved hand. He grit his teeth at the sensation, but he did his best to ignore it.

Logan’s chest heaved. One blood-covered hand clutched his side, and the other reached up to straighten his glasses. “Nothing,” he rasped. “Just the usual. It’s just a scratch.”

Janus rolled his eyes at Logan’s words. “Well, it’s not like you’re bleeding out on my balcony, darling. Seriously, what the hell did you do?”

Logan swallowed. “Just... ran into a gang. Weren’t too happy about me... y’know... hacking into their stuff. It’s nothing. I can walk it off.”

“Of course you can walk off what looks like a gunshot wound, dear. I absolutely don’t doubt that you could. Now how long have you been here?”

Logan didn’t respond for a few seconds, and Janus began to fear that he’d passed out. “Dunno,” Logan slurred. “Maybe... five minutes?” He stared at Janus through his glasses. “You’re really pretty, Jan.”

“That’s the blood loss talking, dear.” Janus looked up at D.W. “Can you—?”

“Already on it.” She ran back into the house.

Roman and Remus stayed at the doorway, staring at Logan in confusion. “Specs?” Remus muttered. “What are you doing here?”

Logan turned his gaze to the twins. He didn’t speak for a solid ten seconds. “Wait... You’re... you’re Pat’s kids. Wh... what are you...?”

“It’s a long story,” Janus said. He brushed Logan’s hair away from his face. “Don’t worry about it, sweetheart. I’ll explain everything as soon as you’re well enough to hear it.”

Logan mumbled something incoherent. The blood loss was certainly getting to him.

D.W. hurried back onto the balcony with a first aid kit. “Leave him to me, Jan. Get the kids back in bed. You can deal with this in the morning.”

Janus nodded. He looked down at Logan and wiped another stream of blood off his lips. “Will you be alright with D.W., darling?”

Logan mumbled something else Janus couldn’t decipher. He pressed a kiss to Janus’s thumb as it passed over his mouth. That was a sure sign that Logan was slowly becoming delirious. He always got affectionate when he wasn’t in his right mind.

Janus stood, ignoring Logan’s grumbles of protest. Janus put a hand on the twins’ shoulders and guided them back into the house. “He’ll be fine. D.W. will lock the door as soon as she’s finished.”

“Are you sure?” Remus asked.

“Yes. Now, you both need your rest. We’re leaving before nine tomorrow morning so I can go to work.”

Janus looked back at Logan’s bloody form on the balcony as he led the kids back to their room. The mystery of how Logan knew the Hart family would have to wait until tomorrow, it seemed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Janus tries to get the kids downstairs for supper. Virgil won't leave his room, but the twins are willing to go downstairs. Remus can't walk downstairs on his own, so Janus offers to carry him. The kids hurry into the kitchen, and when Janus and D.W. follow, they see Remus pressing the "off" button on the stove over and over again. He jumps away from the stove when he sees D.W. and Janus. Remus apologizes for messing with the stove and being unable to walk downstairs on his own. Janus assures him that it was no problem. Janus decides to bring Virgil some supper, but Virgil won't respond. Janus leaves a plate outside Virgil's door and proceeds to go to his own room to get ready for bed. He reads the rest of the letter Patton left him. What surprises him most in the letter is that the Hart family knows Logan Minder, someone Janus knows very well. He tries to call Logan, but he doesn't answer. Eventually, Remus and Roman appear outside Janus' door and ask him if he can help Remus make sure all the doors are locked. Janus does so, but when checking the balcony doors, he sees someone outside. He sees that it's Logan, injured and laying on the balcony. D.W. comes out with a first aid kit to fix Logan up while Janus takes Roman and Remus back inside, still wondering how Logan knows the Hart family.


	12. I'm Very Gay, I'd Like A Few Pop Tarts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Virgil has no idea how his tutor knows Mr. Chimera, but Logan Minder's presence is certainly raising a few questions. Luckily, Mr. Minder seems willing to answer some of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i should just put a big food warning at the beginning of this fic, considering that i apparently write about people eating more than i thought i did. idk, i just like having my characters eat regular meals. as the chapter title suggests, there are Pop Tarts here, and they're present for most of the chapter. 
> 
> there's also a passing mention of human trafficking, but nothing goes into detail. if you'd like to skip the mention, stop at "Mr. Minder didn't respond for a moment, which didn't help to ease Virgil's nerves" and start again when Logan is done talking in that paragraph.
> 
> you can skip this chapter if you want, because this is mostly a filler chapter for minimal amounts of plot, anyway. important plots points that are addressed will be summarized in the end notes just in case!
> 
> (also i'm still lowkey shocked at the amount of people who are reading this??? like y'all are so nice and supportive ily <3 this fic already has more hits than a fifty chapter fic for another fandom i spent almost a year on and i've only posted twelve chapters so far!!! y'all are amazing ily)

Virgil woke to someone knocking on his door.

His eyes snapped open and he sat up in bed. Dad never woke him up by knocking on his door. Why was he doing it now?

He squinted in the bright light of the room. His heart skipped a beat when he realized he wasn’t at home. Where the hell was he?

Then the events of the previous day came rushing back. He covered his eyes with a grunt of displeasure. Right, he’d left the lights on because he didn’t want to sleep in the dark and he didn’t have a nightlight. In hindsight, maybe he should have put one in his backpack before he left the house.

He slowly uncovered his eyes as they adjusted. Another knock on the door hit his eardrums and he shrank back at the sound.

“Virgil,” said a voice. “D.W. and I have to work at nine, and we need to take you and your brothers with us. Are you awake, at least?”

Virgil grabbed a pillow off his bed and threw it at the door in response. He didn’t want to talk.

Luckily, Mr. Chimera seemed to see this as an acceptable answer. “I’ll see you downstairs in the kitchen if you want breakfast.”

Virgil grabbed Ms. Snuffles and hugged her to his chest. He didn’t want to leave the room, but the lights were too bright and he couldn’t think straight.

He grabbed his sweater off the floor and tugged it on, still clutching Ms. Snuffles. He shouldn’t take her outside the room with him. He was fifteen. He shouldn’t need a stuffed animal anymore.

A disappointed noise left his throat as he put Ms. Snuffles back on the bed. He grabbed his bat necklace and put it over his head. He had a feeling this was going to be a difficult day.

He put his hood up and shut off the light as he left his room. The hardly touched plate of lasagna Mr. Chimera had left there the night before wasn’t there anymore. Virgil had tried the food, but he couldn’t make himself eat much. It didn’t taste familiar. It wasn’t the same as the food Dad made. That wasn’t to say that it wasn’t good, but it just wasn’t right.

It was still early, so the sun wasn’t even up yet. A faint orange glow from the sunrise shone through the windows, but it felt bright as a spotlight to Virgil’s sensitive eyes. He hunched into his sweater and hurried down the hall towards the stairwell.

He trudged down the stairs, hands in his pockets to keep himself from fidgeting. He didn’t want to know what Mr. Chimera’s reaction would be to Virgil’s weird habits.

Virgil opened the door to the dining room and stepped through. He shut it behind him and started across the room, but he skittered to a stop when he saw someone sitting at the dining table. He blinked in surprise as he took in the sight of the person. Dark brown hair, glasses, black polo shirt with a blue tie...

“Mr. Minder?” Virgil whispered.

Mr. Minder looked up from the cup of coffee he had sitting in front of him. “Hm? Oh, hello Virgil. Are you feeling alright this morning?”

Virgil couldn’t come up with an answer through his confusion. “What are you doing here?”

Mr. Minder shrugged and sipped his coffee. “Just the usual business. I got shot and decided to see if Janus Chimera could help.”

Virgil just stared at him. “Y... you got... shot?”

Mr. Minder nodded. “Yes. I suppose I should explain. I assumed you would be confused once you saw me here. You see, I—”

The door across the room swung open. Mr. Chimera walked in, dressed in the same suit he wore the day before, bowler hat and yellow gloves included. He held a cup of hot chocolate in his hands. He set the cup down on the table next to Mr. Minder and leaned against the table. Virgil’s eyebrows shot up in surprise when Mr. Chimera cupped Mr. Minder’s face with one hand.

“Logan, darling, are you feeling better this morning?” Mr. Chimera asked. His tone was soft and laced with affection.

“Yes I am, thank you.” Mr. Minder took another sip of coffee. His tone was as cold and flat as ever, but a red flush had appeared on his cheeks. “D.W. did a phenomenal job on the stitches, as usual.”

Mr. Chimera leaned down and placed a kiss on Mr. Minder’s forehead. Virgil gagged internally at the display of affection. “That’s good.” Mr. Chimera looked up and jumped a little when he saw Virgil. “Oh. Virgil. How long have you been there?”

“Is this how other kids feel when their parents get all gross with each other?” was Virgil’s only response.

“I don’t see how that comparison applies to us,” Mr. Minder said. “Janus and I are not your parents.”

“You’re my teacher,” Virgil said. “Close enough.” He speed-walked across the room. “Chimera, you got any Pop Tarts in your kitchen?”

“We should have some in the pantry,” Mr. Chimera said. “Help yourself.”

Virgil shouldered the door open and crossed the hall to the kitchen. He wanted to know why Mr. Minder was here, but since he hardly ate anything yesterday, he was hungry. The issue with Mr. Minder could wait until later.

Virgil entered the kitchen and his eyes widened. This was probably the biggest kitchen he’d ever seen in his life. The counter to the right spanned almost the entire length of the wall, interrupted in the middle by the stove. A door stood on the far end of it, leading to what he presumed was the pantry. Dozens of cupboards stuck out of the wall above the counter. An island with chairs pushed up to it took up the middle of the room, and at the left wall was a bar with shelves of bottles and glasses behind it.

Virgil stepped past the island on his way to the pantry. This would certainly take some getting used to.

He opened the pantry door. He scanned the shelves. They were filled with unopened packages of various pasta noodles, bags of flour and sugar, bottles of sauces, bags of chips... God, was there even an organizing system for all this? Remus would have a field day finding a place for everything in this mess. Even Virgil himself felt the need to start taking things off shelves and putting them all in specific places. Seriously, what were the Doritos doing on the top shelf with the canned fruit?

He shook his head and just kept searching for the pop tarts. He pushed aside a box of Kraft Dinner (he liked Kraft Dinner; maybe he could ask Mr. Chimera later if he could make some for lunch) and spotted the bright blue box he wanted.

He grabbed the Pop Tarts and flipped the box open. Thank fuck, they were strawberry flavoured. If this guy had Jolly Rancher flavoured Pop Tarts, Virgil would have packed up his stuff and left the house immediately.

He put two in the toaster and waited for them to toast. There was no one else in the kitchen, so after a hesitant glance at the door, he hopped up onto the island and sat there. Sure, there were chairs, but chairs were for people who were either straight or cowards, and Virgil was neither.

He swung his legs off the edge of the counter. After a moment’s hesitation, he started clicking his tongue against the roof of his mouth. No one could hear or see him right now, so maybe letting himself engage in his weird habits (“stimming” Mr. Minder called it, whatever that meant) was fine for now.

He let his sweater sleeves fall over his hands and flapped them up and down as he waited for his pop tarts to be done, still clicking his tongue. He felt a lot better now that he got to fidget.

The door swung open and he stopped moving and making sounds. He glanced back to see who had entered the kitchen. Mr. Chimera walked in, cup of hot chocolate in hand. He set it on the island. He didn’t even give Virgil a second glance, which Virgil thought was strange, considering he was sitting stock still on the island with his hands frozen mid-flap.

Virgil lowered his hands and hunched over in his seat as Mr. Chimera walked to the fridge. Maybe he wasn’t saying anything to Virgil because he thought Virgil was weird. He was probably judging Virgil for behaving so strangely.

Virgil slid off the island and stood facing the toaster, hands jammed in his pockets to keep them still. Mr. Chimera rifled around in the fridge and emerged with a jar of jam in his hand. He opened a drawer in the counter and grabbed a butter knife. Nudging the drawer shut with his hip, he unscrewed the lid of the jar.

Virgil watched as Janus grabbed a plate from the cupboard and then reached into the bag of bread on the counter. Virgil wanted to keep fidgeting or stimming or whatever it was called, but he didn’t want to weird out Mr. Chimera.

“I like your necklace, Virgil,” Mr. Chimera commented as he scooped up some jam with his knife. “It matches your pyjamas.”

Virgil glanced down. He’d forgotten he was wearing his pyjama pants with the bats printed on them.

“Thanks,” he muttered. Maybe Janus wasn’t judging him for anything. Maybe Virgil had just read the room wrong. It wouldn’t be the fist time that happened.

Janus spread the jam onto the slice of bread he’d taken. “That is a chewable pendant, am I correct?”

Virgil didn’t respond at first. He didn’t quite know how. What if he said yes and Mr. Chimera started thinking he was weird? Or if he said no, he might just think Virgil was lying.

“Yeah,” he said finally.

Mr. Chimera nodded. “Well, it’s a very cute necklace. If you ever chew through it, let me know and I can get you a new one. I have a few fidget cubes you can borrow as well, if you want.”

Virgil stared as Mr. Chimera finished with the jam and screwed the lid back on. “Lovely chat,” Mr. Chimera said, “but I need to get some food to your teacher. He shouldn’t have even come downstairs, but the man is stubborn.” He picked up the plate and walked back to the dining room.

Virgil blinked. Did Mr. Chimera know about Virgil’s fidgeting? Was this a roundabout way of saying he was okay with it?

The toaster popped. Virgil yelped. He’d nearly forgotten he had Pop Tarts in the toaster.

Virgil stuck his bat pendant in his mouth. He grabbed a butter knife and tried to stab the Pop Tarts to get them out. He was never going to figure Mr. Chimera out, was he?

He put his Pop Tarts on a plate and spat out his necklace to bite into one. He severely underestimated how hot the strawberry filling would be, so he resorted to chewing with his mouth open and frantically inhaling to cool it down.

He walked across the kitchen to the door, tossing the Pop Tart back onto his plate to let it cool. He nudged the door open and crossed the hall to go to the dining room, but he paused when he heard Mr. Chimera and Mr. Minder speaking.

“So,” Mr. Chimera’s voice said. “Now that you’re awake and not in danger of dying, would you care to explain exactly how you ended up in this mess?”

Mr. Minder sighed. “Must we do this now, Janus? It is quite early in the morning.”

“It’s just past eight. You usually get up at six. It’s not early for you.”

A brief pause. Virgil stepped closer to the door to hear better.

“It is a little complicated,” Mr. Minder responded.

“We have about half an hour before I leave for work,” Mr. Chimera said. “That should be ample time to explain.”

Mr. Minder sighed. “Look, I was just doing a quick hacking job. Another gang caught me and got upset enough to teach me a lesson about poking into their business. Besides, the bullet only grazed my side. It didn’t actually hit me.”

Virgil couldn’t see what was happening in the dining room through the door, but he assumed Mr. Chimera gave Mr. Minder some sort of disapproving look. “Fine,” Mr. Minder said. “I was trying to see where Patton had gone.”

Virgil’s breath caught in his throat. Mr. Minder was looking for Dad?

“Yes, how _do_ you know Patton Hart?” Mr. Chimera asked. “I’ve been wondering that ever since I saw your name and phone number on the letter he left for me.”

“Well, how do you know him?” Mr. Minder shot back. “Why are his children here?”

“I’ve been asking you questions first. You answer my questions and I’ll answer yours.”

“You are stubborn as ever.”

“So are you, darling.”

Mr. Minder sighed. “Okay. I know Patton because we went to school together. I... may or may not have been aware of his general situation with Wrath’s Blade. He didn’t want his kids to go to public school for fear that Wrath might find them, so he asked me to tutor them as well. Patton texted me yesterday to cancel their tutoring lesson and I got curious. I looked into some things to see if Wrath had found him.”

“And have they?”

“Not that I could see. I’ve been putting out some requests with some unaffiliated sources to see if anyone knows where he is. I’m not expecting any responses, but... I just want to know if he’s alright. Unfortunately, there seems to be a bounty on his head.”

“A bounty?” Mr. Chimera mumbled.

“What did he do to warrant such a widespread search?”

“That is Patton’s business,” Mr. Chimera said. “How many people are aware of the bounty?”

“Nearly every bounty hunter in the country,” Mr. Minder said. “However, I’m sure Patton and his friend can manage to stay safe. Remy Dormir is a very capable man, if a little... eccentric.”

Mr. Chimera hummed. “Yes, I’m aware of Remy’s... capabilities. I hope he can protect Patton, but knowing Patton, he won’t need to the protection.”

“Okay,” said Mr. Minder. “Now you. How do you know Patton?”

There was a brief pause before Mr. Chimera spoke. “Well, my situation with Patton is also a little complicated. We haven’t spoken in years, really. But I owed him a favour since he did something for me long ago, and he’s decided to use that favour to keep his children safe while he’s running from Wrath.”

“So you’re in charge of taking care of the kids?” Mr. Minder scoffed. “Good luck with that. You know nothing about children.”

“Well, Patton did tell me to contact you if I need assistance. Now that you’re here...”

“No,” Mr. Minder interrupted. “I will continue to tutor the children, but I am not equipped for physically taking care of them. I know some general things if you need advice, however. I am their counselor as well as their teacher.”

Mr. Chimera snorted. “You are a counselor? Darling, you don’t even have feelings.”

“You’re right about that.” He paused. “Virgil?” he called. “You can come out now.”

Virgil’s heart leaped into his throat. How did Mr. Minder know he was there?

He slowly opened the door and peeked out at the two of them, bracing himself for a scolding. Mr. Minder just sat in his chair with a smug smirk on his face, and Mr. Chimera was sitting on the table, staring at Virgil with a surprised expression.

“Sorry,” Virgil said automatically.

“How did you know he was listening?” Mr. Chimera asked.

“Kids want to know things they shouldn’t,” Mr. Minder said with a shrug.

Virgil hunched over in his hoodie. They were probably mad at him for listening. He knew eavesdropping was bad, but he just wanted to know what they were talking about.

“We’re not upset with you,” Mr. Minder said, as if he knew exactly what Virgil was thinking. He took a sip of his coffee. “You’re actually quite good at eavesdropping. I didn’t even notice you were there for a while. That’s a skill you’ll want to hang onto.”

Mr. Chimera nodded. “Yes, that can be useful.” He stood and cleared his throat. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to get ready for work.”

He leaned down and planted a kiss to Mr. Minder’s forehead before walking to the door that led to the stairs. He disappeared into the stairwell. The door swung shut behind him.

Virgil stood in the doorway with his Pop Tarts, hesitant to take a seat at the table after the awkward exchange. However, Mr. Minder seemed preoccupied with eating the jam-covered bread Mr. Chimera had brought him. Maybe he wouldn’t care if Virgil sat down.

Virgil walked to the table and lowered himself into one of the chairs. He took a bite of his Pop Tart, keeping his gaze on the table. He sat on his other hand to keep it still. Quiet hands, he reminded himself.

“Virgil.”

Virgil looked up at Mr. Minder, who was staring at him across the table. Had he done something wrong? Was he not supposed to sit down at the table?

“You are allowed to stim,” Mr. Minder said. “There is no need to restrain yourself. I guarantee you that Mr. Chimera doesn’t mind, and neither does D.W. No one will judge you for it, Janus least of all. You’re free to be yourself here.”

Virgil was a little reluctant, but he brought his free hand off his seat and used it to twirl his necklace in his fingers. He did feel a little better fidgeting, but he was still afraid he would weird someone out with his habits. Mr. Minder never seemed to mind, though. Virgil let himself play with his bat pendant as he took another bite of his Pop Tart.

“I get the feeling you have some questions, Virgil,” Mr. Minder said. “You’re free to ask. I don’t know what Janus has told you already, but you deserve to at least know why you’re here and why Patton has left.”

Mr. Minder was right. Virgil did have questions. He hadn’t asked Mr. Chimera or D.W. because he didn’t know if they would answer, but Mr. Minder was usually honest with him. Plus, he was tired of being clueless.

“I just don’t know what’s going on,” Virgil admitted. “I don’t know what Chimera really is. It’s obviously not just a bank. And I don’t know what Wrath is or what’s with the bounty hunters you mentioned, or... anything really. What’s going on?”

Mr. Minder gulped down some coffee and set down his mug. “Well, Janus is not only in charge of the banking branch under the name of Chimera. The bank is just a cover for everything else that Chimera does.”

“What do they do?”

“Many things. Smuggling drugs and weapons, helping people illegally cross borders, handing out loans to anyone who needs extra money and inevitably tracking down those who don’t pay back their loans. The list goes on.”

Virgil blinked as that information sank in. He knew this whole thing was shady. He knew Mr. Chimera was involved in illegal shit!

“I am a hacker affiliated with Chimera, although Chimera is not the only organization I have lent my services to.” Mr. Minder said. “I work... very closely with Janus, if you haven’t noticed already.”

“Yeah, I figured,” Virgil mumbled. “But what’s Dad doing? Why is he involved in all this?”

“Honestly, Virgil? I don’t know how Patton originally ended up in this mess. I believe Janus knows, but that issue might be held between him and Patton. All I know is that he got caught up in another organization, one that goes by the name of Wrath’s Blade, and now his past is coming back to figuratively bite him in the ass.”

“Is Wrath’s Blade bad? What are they going to do if they find him?”

Mr. Minder didn’t respond for a moment, which didn’t help to ease Virgil’s nerves. “I don’t know,” he admitted finally. “Wrath... isn’t exactly friendly, if the name is any indication. They seem to have looser morals than most of Chimera. For example, they deal in human trafficking, particularly among children.” A hint of disdain made its way into his voice. “Part of why Chimera is on bad terms with them is because we often try to protect their targets. We are willing to let them take over the drug trafficking industry in this area if they stop their human trafficking, but the money they see in that business must be too much for them to pass up. We have had partnerships with Wrath in the past, but the figurative line between business deals and all-out brawling is a thin one when it comes to our relationship with Wrath. Nevertheless, Patton sent you to Chimera because Janus has the means to protect you and your brothers. Wrath won’t even know you’re here while you’re under Janus’ protection.”

Virgil took another bite of his Pop Tart as that information sank in. That was... a lot to process. Some of it made sense, but everything Mr. Minder just told him caused his anxiety to shoot up a little. This weird rival gang or whatever that was involved in human trafficking was going after Dad? And Janus Chimera was the only person who could protect them? Was he serious?

“Everything’s going to be alright, Virgil,” Mr. Minder said. “Janus will keep you and your brothers safe, and I will continue to search for your father to the best of my ability. I will contact as many people as I can to help me find out where your father is and offer him support while he’s on the run.” Mr. Minder offered him a smile, something that was rare coming from him. The sight actually calmed Virgil’s nerves a bit.

He took a deep breath. “Thanks for telling me,” he said. “I don’t understand all of that, but I think I get the gist.”

“You’re welcome.”

Virgil stood and picked up his plate. “I think I’m gonna go finish my breakfast in my room. I’m still getting used to all this.”

“That’s a good idea. If you need softer lights in your room, don’t hesitate to ask.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

Virgil walked to the door that led to the stairs. Before he left the dining room, he shot one last glance back at Mr. Minder. He held his cup of coffee in one hand, blue eyes fixed on the table as if deep in thought. Virgil would have loved to know what was going on in that mind of his.

He opened the door and started up the stairs, leaving Mr. Minder to his thoughts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Through eavesdropping in on a conversation, Virgil finds out that Mr. Minder is looking for Patton Hart and got shot because he was poking into some illegal business. Virgil hears that there's now a bounty on his father's head. Mr. Chimera doesn't reveal how he knows Patton, although Virgil's been wondering that himself. Mr. Chimera leaves the room and Virgil enters to talk to Mr. Minder. He finds out that Chimera is not just a bank; it's a cover for the more illegal businesses that Mr. Chimera engages in, and they don't get along well with another organization called Wrath's Blade. According to Logan, Wrath has looser morals than Chimera, and Virgil wonders exactly what they'll do to his dad if they catch him.


	13. Gosh Dang It, There's A Bounty Hunter In The House

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An unexpected visitor arrives in Thomas' house. Patton decides he needs to run, but he didn't think everyone else would want to stay with him and help keep him safe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the only warning for this chapter is that there are guns present for almost the whole thing! also, i have updated the tags and put a big warning note right at the beginning of the fic, so PLEASE check the tags or the beginning warning to see if there's anything there that might be a sensitive subject for you! the tags will be updated with more warnings as i write. things are going to get intense in future chapters >:)

Patton woke feeling a little drowsy. He’d slept alright, but not nearly enough to make up for the stuff that happened the day before. Remy’s arms were still wrapped around him, and Patton decided that since Remy wasn’t up yet, he didn’t need to get up, either. He kept his eyes shut and snuggled further under the covers with a sigh.

Remy grunted in his sleep at the movement and tightened his hug. He pressed himself closer to Patton and they lied there in bed, legs tangled together.

_Click._

Patton snatched the knife from under his pillow and lunged to his feet before his eyes were open. He knocked the gun out of the hand of the person who had entered their room and held his knife up to their neck. Remy was right behind him, bolting awake as soon as Patton was out of bed. He cocked his own gun and aimed it at the person, still perched on the bed.

Patton squinted, trying to focus on the person in front of him. They were more of a blurry mess without his glasses, so he kept his knife on their neck and reached back to grab his glasses from the nightstand. He slid them on and turned back to the person.

The first thing he noticed was the person’s bright red hair. And that wasn’t to say she was ginger; her hair was dyed a blazing red with dark roots poking out from her scalp. It was hard to tell whether she was white or East Asian, so he figured she was mixed. She wore a spotless white jacket. He ran her face through his memory. He couldn’t remember seeing her in person before. He didn’t know if she was a new agent of Wrath’s or if she was an assassin or bounty hunter.

“Who are you?” Remy snapped.

The person narrowed her eyes at him. “That’s none of your business.”

“I think it is our business,” Remy said. “Considering you broke into this house to shoot us.”

“Look, I really don’t wanna hurt you,” Patton said, “but he will shoot you if you don’t leave or tell us who you are and who sent you.”

The person glanced from Remy to Patton, probably weighing her options. She sighed. “No one sent me. I came here on my own.”

“And your name?” Remy asked.

She narrowed her eyes at him. He glared right back. Patton’s left pointer finger twitched.

Footsteps sprinted down the hallway outside their room. Patton whipped his head around to look just as Andy threw the door open. Her grey flannel pyjama pants and baggy t-shirt were rumpled and her hair stuck up in a dozen different directions. Her eyes were wide. She clutched her open laptop in one hand.

“Guys,” she said. “There’s someone in the—” Her sentence halted as soon as she saw the redhead in the room. “Oh. I guess you already know that.”

“You’re a little late to the party,” Remy said. He hadn’t taken his eyes off the redhead. “Now, your name?”

“No need to question her,” Andy said. “That’s Pryce Princeton. She’s a bounty hunter.”

Remy’s eyebrows shot up. “Bounty?”

“Hunter?” Patton squeaked.

“The hunter part isn’t what’s concerning here, Pat,” Remy said. “There’s a bounty on us?”

Pryce glared daggers at Remy. “Not you. Him.” She looked pointedly at Patton.

Patton’s heart sank into his gut. “Who set the bounty?”

“Who do you think?” Pryce snapped. “Wrath wants you. Of course they might spread the word to a few unaffiliated assassins that you’re on their shit list.”

“And how did you find us?” Remy demanded.

Pryce scoffed. “Hot tip: if you’re on the run, don’t use a debit machine to pay for your shit when you shop. It leaves a paper trail.”

“That’s what I was thinking,” Patton mumbled. Louder, he said “If you managed to find us, do you know if Wrath has found us yet?”

Pryce rolled her eyes. “They haven’t. Now can you get that knife off my neck?”

“Why? Is it putting you on _edge?”_

Remy lowered his gun. “Pat, now is not the time for knife jokes.”

“Right, sorry.” Patton lowered the knife.

Andy furiously typed on her laptop. “Well, I sure fucking hope Wrath hasn’t managed to find us. Princeton, I swear to god, if you led them here—”

“Relax, the idiots are too stupid to find you themselves,” Pryce said, one hand on her throat to rub at the spot Patton’s knife had been pressed to. “They’re searching in groups now. They can’t move fast enough to find you when they’re all clustered together.”

Remy’s grip tightened on his gun. “But when they do find us, they’ll be able to take us easier. We won’t be able to fight them if there’s more than one.”

“And that’s why they hired bounty hunters,” Patton whispered. If Wrath’s Blade hired bounty hunters to track them down, there was no way they weren’t tracking the hunters. Despite Andy’s extra measures to keep them from being tracked to Thomas’ house, Pryce’s signal would have been cut off somewhere in this area, and it wouldn’t take much to narrow down the search.

Pryce sighed. “Look, I didn’t think I was dealing with people who knew they were being followed. I only take easy jobs. So either come with me to Wrath quietly so I don’t have to do any work, or let me leave and take another job.”

“Quiet, Princey,” Andy grumbled, still typing. “How many assassins and hunters did they send the bounty out to?”

“Pretty much everyone who isn’t affiliated with any specific gang,” Pryce said. She held up a hand to examine her nails.

Andy stopped typing and stared wide-eyed at her screen. “Holy shit, that’s a lot of money. And you’re wanted alive.”

“We’re gonna have every single assassin and bounty hunter in the southern hemisphere on our ass.” Remy hopped off the bed and rushed to his pile of stuff. “Pat, get dressed, we’re leaving.”

Patton hurriedly pulled on his cat hoodie as Remy tugged on a pair of jeans. “Wait, you’re leaving?” Andy said.

“We have to,” Patton said. “You and Thomas are going to be in danger if we stay.” He grabbed his denim jacket and put it on over his hoodie. “We’re not letting that happen.”

“Well, you’re not going to get very far without help.” Andy shut her laptop. “I’m coming too.”

“No, you’re not.” Remy slid his arms through the sleeves of his leather jacket. “You’re staying here where you’re more or less safe.”

“Come on, you need some technological help to block your trail. And that motorbike probably won’t even get you across the city without being recognized. Thomas can drive us in his car. You’re taking us with you.”

“No,” Patton insisted. He pulled on a pair of jeans. “We’re not. You and Thomas need to stay here.”

Remy, however, had paused in the middle of putting on his sunglasses. “Pat, we do need help.”

Patton whirled on him, feeling almost betrayed. “Remy, we can’t put them in danger! I’ve already dragged you into this mess. I don’t need two more people in danger because of me.”

“Look,” Pryce said, “whatever you losers decide, I gotta go, so—”

Remy grabbed her shoulder. “No. You know where we are, you’re coming with us. We’re not letting you give us away to Wrath.”

Pryce raised a finely plucked eyebrow. “What? No, I’m just a bounty hunter. I know nothing. You don’t need to—”

Remy picked up his gun. “It wasn’t a question.”

Pryce glanced from Patton to Remy to the gun. “Damn, you guys are testy.”

Andy turned and left the room. “I’ll get Thomas.”

Patton wanted to call out after her, but she was gone by the time he turned to face her. He wanted to scream in frustration. Great, now he was dragging three more people along on this dangerous ride he was stuck on. This was the opposite of what he wanted! He left the city to get away from people he might drag down with him, and now there were more people involving themselves in his problem.

Patton slung his backpack onto his shoulders. “Remy, I don’t think letting them come with us is a good idea.”

Remy grabbed his satchel and put it over his shoulder. “We need help. If we’re being tracked down by Wrath and every bounty hunter in southern America, we can’t get out of this alone.”

Patton watched helplessly as Remy guided Pryce out of the room at gunpoint. All of these people were going to get dragged down by Patton’s issues.

However, he just followed them out of the bedroom. He jogged down the stairs to the living room, clutching the straps of his backpack. As they neared the first floor, he heard a pair of voices arguing back and forth.

“What do you mean, you already knew they were coming?” Andy said.

“I mean, I was up all night watching Parks and Rec while keeping watch, and I saw people sneaking around outside earlier this morning. I filled up the car. It’s ready to go.”

Patton emerged in the living room to see Thomas, already dressed and rummaging through the kitchen as he shoved things into a backpack. Andy stood in the living room, staring at him in wonder. Thomas looked up as the others stepped off the stairs. His eyes fell on Pryce.

“Were you the one hiding in my bushes?” he asked.

Pryce blinked. “You saw me? Wait, who even are you?”

“No time for introductions,” Remy said. “Thomas, babe, we need to go. Nice jacket by the way.”

Thomas zipped up his bag and put it on over his red leather jacket. “Thanks. Anyway, I’m about ninety-nine percent sure that some people from Wrath managed to track someone here. There’s a car down the street full of people, and there are a couple people on the rooftops keeping watch of the street. They just got here. Andy, go open the garage door.”

Andy shoved her laptop into a bag leaning against the couch. “You got it.” She hung the bag on her shoulder and rushed off.

Patton blinked at Thomas. “You’re going to help us?”

“Well, yeah. You’re not the first people who have had to run away in a hurry. I don’t usually go with the people I help, but I don’t trust Wrath as far as I can throw them. I could be in danger if I stay. Leaving is the safest thing to do.” Thomas turned to Remy. “Get the bounty hunter in the car. We gotta leave your bike behind for now.”

“Fine.” Remy guided Pryce to the front door. “Come on, Princey.”

“Don’t call me that,” Pryce grumbled, but she trudged forward with Remy’s gun to her back.

Thomas took a deep breath. “You ready, Patton?”

Patton hesitated. He didn’t want to let everyone else put themselves at risk for him. But Thomas and everyone else already seemed committed to going. No matter how hard he tried, he was pretty sure he wouldn’t be able to convince them to stay here.

“Yeah,” he said. “Let’s go.”


	14. I Had To Pick Today To Try Ignoring My Anxiety

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Janus takes the kids to work, but an issue arises that he has to take care of. Virgil get curious and decides to ignore his instincts that tell him to stay put. Instead, he tries to figure out exactly what's going on in this illegal business.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i've been writing so much damn angst for this fic i need to chill out for a bit

Janus leaned down to give Logan a kiss on the forehead. “You’re sure you’ll be alright on your own, darling?”

Logan sighed at Janus’s concern, but he nodded. “I’m perfectly fine, Janus. You don’t have to worry.”

“I know, honey, but you can’t blame me. You were shot, after all.”

“The bullet only grazed my side, I told you that.” Logan grimaced as he shifted in his seat on the couch. “If it had actually hit me, there would be cause for concern.”

Janus hesitated, but he finally relented. “Okay. We’ll be back in the afternoon so you can teach the kids.”

Logan gave him a smile. “See you then.” He reached up and grabbed Janus’s tie, gently tugging him down to kiss Janus. Janus found himself smiling into Logans lips.

Someone smacked the back of Janus’s head, almost taking off his hat. “Come on, lovebirds,” D.W. said.

Janus reluctantly made to pull away, but Logan pressed his lips to the corner of Janus’s mouth. “You could just stay here,” he suggested quietly, a smirk on his face.

Virgil gagged at the display of affection. Janus pecked Logan on the cheek and straightened, Logan’s hand slipping off Janus’s tie and resting back on the keys of his laptop. “Sorry, darling. Call me if you need me. We won’t be too long. Keep an eye on the security cameras for me.”

“Will do.” Logan leaned back into the couch and turned to the screen in front of him.

D.W. started for the door, keys in hand. “Come on, kiddos.”

Janus saw Virgil visibly wince at her words. Roman and Remus, however, didn’t seem bothered in the slightest. They smiled and waved at Logan, and he waved back.

“See ya, Lo,” D.W. said. She guided the twins to the door.

The two kids ran to the door with identical smiles. They seemed to adjust very quickly to the new environment and situation. Either that, or they were trying to focus on the positives: exploring a new house, being around new people... it must have been exciting for a couple of eleven-year-olds to be in such a big house and interact with more people.

Janus started for the door. “Stay safe, darling.”

“I’ll try,” Logan said.

Janus reached the door and glanced back at Virgil. “Are you coming?”

Virgil stood in the living room, backpack on his shoulders. Janus didn’t question why he was bringing his bag. The kid looked anxious enough.

Virgil brought the pendant of his necklace up to his mouth and shrugged. He waved at Logan and hurried to the door. Logan waved back.

Janus held the door open for Virgil. He rushed out of the house, hands clutching the straps of his backpack, shoulders hunched over. Janus blew a kiss in Logan’s direction before following Virgil out the door. He caught Logan smiling at the gesture as Janus closed the door.

Janus locked the door behind him. “Dorothy, did you double check the security system?”

“Yep!” D.W. called from the car. She put her briefcase in the trunk as Roman and Remus clambered into the backseat. “Logan turned everything off last night so he could get on the balcony. I reset the whole system last night and gave him unrestricted access.”

“Good.” Janus strode to the trunk and set his own briefcase in next to D.W.’s. He shut the trunk and walked around to the passenger side door. “Here’s hoping Magi didn’t set the office on fire in the two hours she’s been in charge for.”

D.W. snorted as she started the car. “No kidding.” She glanced into the backseat. “You kids ready?”

Janus followed her gaze. Roman and Remus seemed fine, although Remus was rolling his window up and down over and over again. Virgil was hunched over in his seat and sitting on his hands, completely still. Janus didn’t think anything of it. He often forced himself to stay still as well. It wasn’t fun, but Janus understood why Virgil didn’t feel safe to stim at the moment.

D.W. backed out of the driveway and pulled onto the street. Janus glanced in the rear-view mirror to straighten his hat and his tie. He was sure he wouldn’t get much work done while they were at the office. Magi might have already made a mess of things. He trusted her, but she was very eccentric. It was possible that no one was getting anything done and Magi had started braiding other employees’ hair in the staff room.

It didn’t take long to arrive at their destination. Janus stepped out of the car and opened the door to the backseat for Virgil.

Virgil hopped out, clutching his backpack straps. Roman and Remus scurried out after him and Janus shut the door. D.W. locked the car and grabbed her briefcase from the trunk, and Janus took his.

They walked across the parking lot to the front of the bank. Janus held the door open for the others and let them file in. Once they were inside, he turned and scanned the street around them for any sign of anyone from Wrath. He didn’t see anyone wearing anything predominantly orange, so he hoped Wrath was still oblivious to Patton’s children staying with Chimera.

He shut the door behind him as he stepped into the building. Roman and Remus were standing at the line of ATMs, pressing the buttons on one of them and giggling. Virgil was trying to tug them away as D.W. talked to one of the tellers behind the counter.

Janus approached the counter. “Is anything the matter?”

The teller sighed and pushed her glasses up her nose. “There are a few hostages throwing a fit downstairs. They’re just being a little hard to handle. Miss Sailor doesn’t know whether to take some people off guard duty to protect them and isolate the hostages until they stop, or if we should pull some of the hitmen and postpone some assassinations so they can get control over the situation.”

Janus echoed her sigh. The minute he decided to put someone else in charge, everything went to shit.

“How many hostages are running loose?” he asked.

“All of them,” the teller answered. She straightened her blue necktie. “About twenty. The hostages overwhelmed their guards and stole some weapons, and are now keeping them hostage. Not many of them are actively participating in this riot, only about four of them, but the hostile ones have shut themselves up with the rest of their fellow hostages. They’re still on the seventh floor down.”

Janus’s grip tightened on the handle of his briefcase. This was going to be a tricky situation to solve, but he was sure he could figure something out.

He turned to look at the line of ATMs. “Kids, we need to go. Stop playing with the machines, please.”

Roman’s shoulders slumped in disappointment, but he followed Virgil to the counter. Remus pressed one of the buttons on the ATM a few more times before he ran after his brothers.

“Thank you for letting us know, Teal,” Janus said to the bank teller.

Teal nodded. “You’re welcome,” she said. “By the way, have you heard from my brother lately? I couldn’t contact him last night.”

“He showed up on my balcony. Don’t worry, he’s fine. I’ll tell him to call you later.”

“Thanks, Mr. Chimera.”

Janus and D.W. walked behind the counter, the three kids in tow. They stopped in front of the elevator and D.W. pressed the button. Janus’s mind raced as they waited for the doors to open. How was he going to solve this issue?

The doors opened and they stepped into the elevator. “D.W.,” Janus said as soon as the doors shut. “I’m going to need you to stay in your office with the kids. I’ll visit the seventh floor myself and see if I can sort things out.”

D.W. raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure?”

“Oh absolutely not, Dorothy, it’s not like I’m actually capable of defending myself if anything goes wrong.”

“Well, if you’re sure. Just don’t die. You don’t know how feral those hostages are.”

Virgil’s head whipped around to stare at the two of them. Janus tried not to look at him directly. It was possible that Virgil already knew about Janus’s less than legal business practices, but he didn’t want to concern the kid by trying to explain any of it to him.

The elevator doors opened and the five of them entered the hallway beyond. “Where’s Magi’s office, again?” Janus asked.

“Hall to the left,” D.W. answered. “Door with the Sailor Moon poster on it.”

“Thank you.” Janus veered to the left. “Kids, stay with D.W. I’ll be back in a few.”

“What are you doing?”

Janus paused and turned to look at Virgil. “Just going to deal with some business. Don’t worry about it.”

He entered the hall to the left and scanned the doors on either side. Sure enough, he spotted one with a big anime poster plastered to the front. The name “Magi Sailor” was stuck on the door in sparkly purple letters. He wondered why he let her use those stickers to put her name on the door. If she ever moved out, it would take some serious elbow grease to scrub those stickers off.

He knocked on the door. “Miss Sailor?”

Footsteps thudded on the floor inside the room, and the door swung open. Magi stood in the doorway, looking absolutely exhausted. Her long purple hair was pulled into a ponytail rather than its usual pigtails, and it also lacked the white headband she often wore. She’d managed to put on a light dusting of purple eyeshadow and some mascara to help cover up the slight bags under her eyes. She wore black leggings instead of her purple skirt, and her clothes were rumpled as if she’d just rolled out of bed.

“Hey, Jan,” she sighed. “You’re here because of the—?”

“The rioting hostages, yes,” Janus said. “What happened?”

Magi stepped aside and opened her door to let him in. He stepped into the room, gaze flickering over the dozens of anime posters plastered on the walls.

Magi walked over to the desk in the corner of the room and flopped onto the chair. “Sorry, Jan, I thought I could handle it. I don’t even know what happened. I was sending some people out to Texas to deal with some drug trades, and the next thing I hear is someone bursting into my office shouting about hostages trying to escape. I’ve pulled some people off guard duty so they don’t get overwhelmed by all the violence.”

“Teal said some of the hostages are holding some of agents on the seventh floor?”

“Yeah. Four of the hostages have weapons now. I don’t know what to do. I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright, Magi,” Janus assured her. “This likely would have happened even if I hadn’t left you in charge. It’s not your fault. I’d like you to take me down to the seventh floor to examine the situation.”

Magi stood and smoothed out her jacket. “Sure.”

They left the room and Janus followed Magi down the hall towards the elevator. “They haven’t taken the entire seventh floor,” Magi said as they walked. “They’ve isolated themselves in the southern living room and are shooting at anyone who comes close.” She lifted the hem of her jacket to rest her hand on a pistol in her belt. “You got a gun?”

“In my briefcase,” Janus said.

He pressed the button on the elevator and the doors opened. They both stepped in, and Janus pressed the button with the seven on it. His heart pounded in his chest as the elevator went down. If he couldn’t gain control over the situation, who knew what would happen?

The elevator stopped and the doors opened. Janus poked his head out and glanced from side to side. When no one shot at him, he and Magi left the elevator. The hallway they were in seemed to be clear of people. Janus quickly flipped open his briefcase and grabbed the small pistol he’d packed along with all his important files and documents. He shut the case and set it next to the elevator.

“It’s too quiet down here,” he observed.

Normally, he loved silence, but this floor was always bustling with hostages going about their days, waiting for their loved ones to start making payments towards the debts that got them kidnapped in the first place. Most hostages were released after only a few days or even a few hours, but there were a couple who had been here for over a month. Janus assumed the ones who had been here longer had gotten fed up with being here and convinced the new ones to attempt an escape. There was one particular hostage that he was sure was the ringleader of this little riot.

“You said they’re in the south hall?” Janus asked.

Magi nodded. “They’ve been there for about an hour.”

Janus wracked his brain. The hostages had weapons. Sending people in to contain them would be too dangerous. It could get someone hurt.

However, these hostages weren’t trained agents. It was more than likely that they wouldn’t shoot anyone even if they had the means.

“Magi?”

“Yeah?”

“Send out a mass text. Tell everyone in the building to get down here wearing any bulletproof things they have.”

Magi dug her phone out of her pocket. “Sure thing, boss.”

*******

Virgil stared around the hallway as D.W. led them to her office. Unlike yesterday, there were people running about, talking and laughing with each other. Not a single hallway was left devoid of people.

“Why are there more people here today?” Roman asked, as if he was thinking the same thing.

“Yesterday was Monday,” D.W. said. “Work picks up more on Mondays, so people were busy. Besides, there’s an issue going on in one of the lower floors, so some people can’t do their jobs right now.”

“What are their jobs?” Remus asked, raising an eyebrow in suspicion.

D.W. gave him a smile. “That’s unimportant, hon.” She stopped in front of a door and reached out to open it. “We’re just gonna chill out here and wait for Janus to be done with his stuff.”

Virgil and the twins followed her into the room as soon as she opened the door. It was the office they’d entered the day before, where they had first seen D.W. waiting behind her desk as guards dragged them in to see her and Mr. Chimera.

Roman and Remus hurried into the office. Roman launched himself onto the couch, and Remus followed right behind. D.W. strode to her desk and set down her briefcase. “I can open up Jan’s office if you kids want back in your pillow fort,” she offered.

Roman sat bolt upright. “Could you?”

Virgil caught the smile on D.W.’s face as she walked over to the door that led to Mr. Chimera’s office. She unlocked the door and pushed it open. “Go have fun.”

Roman and Remus scrambled off the couch and ran for the door. They disappeared inside and flicked the lights on.

D.W. turned back to her desk. Her gaze fell on the book Virgil had left there the day before. “Oh, kid, you could have taken this home. I don’t mind.”

Virgil gripped the straps of his backpack, still trying to keep himself from stimming. “I didn’t know. I thought I’d leave it just in case.”

D.W. picked up the book and held it out. “You can keep reading it if you want.”

Virgil hesitated. He felt like he was being a bother, but he shuffled over to the desk and took the book from her hands. “Thank you.”

“No prob.” D.W. sat down at her desk and opened her briefcase.

Virgil hurried back over to the couch and sat down. Setting his backpack side, he flopped down onto the cushions and flipped through the book, trying to remember what page he’d left off on. However, he couldn’t stop thinking about the short conversation Mr. Chimera and D.W. had in the elevator. What was this about hostages?

Virgil tried to push that out of his mind and focus on Fahrenheit 451. However, he hardly got through a sentence before he heard D.W. push her chair back and stand up. “Sorry, kids, I gotta go. Janus needs help downstairs.” She rummaged around in her desk, and Virgil’s heart rate skyrocketed when she brought out a knife.

She walked to the door, knife in hand. “I’ll be back. Don’t wreck anything while I’m gone.”

She left the office. Virgil stared after her, book forgotten in his hands. What was she doing? Was this related to the hostage thing they had been talking about in the elevator?

He glanced at the door to Mr. Chimera’s office. He heard Roman and Remus playing in their fort. While he was extremely wary of the thought of leaving them alone in this place, he was so curious to know what was going on with Mr. Chimera. This was just going to bother him if he didn’t check anything out.

He set the book down and poked his head into Mr. Chimera’s office. “Hey, I’m gonna go out. You guys stay here, okay?”

Remus peeked out of the fort. “Why are you going?”

Virgil tried to think of something that would make sense. “I’m gonna go find the staff room to see what they might have for snacks. We’re gonna be here all morning, so I just wanna see if they’ve got anything for us to eat later. I’ll be right back.”

“See if they have peanut butter!” Roman called from within the mess of blankets and pillows.

“Will do.”

Virgil turned around and made his way across the room. He glanced at the couch. He was tempted to bring his backpack with him, but he didn’t want to lug it around with him while he was trying to figure out what Mr. Chimera and D.W. were doing.

He stepped out of D.W.’s office and peeked around. A hallway stretched to either side, and another was right in front of him. He was pretty sure the hallway ahead led to the elevator, so he started down it. Most of the people that had been around weren’t there anymore, but the few that were present were all headed in the same direction—towards the elevator. He got a couple confused glances from people decked out in weapons (he saw one guy with a metal bat slung over his shoulder), but most saw the black and yellow snake pin on his hoodie and paid him no mind. He’d almost forgotten he’d put that on yesterday.

Pretty much everyone reached the elevator before him, which was fine by him. Being stuck in an elevator with people he barely knew was a nightmare for him, so if everyone was already where they needed to be, he could go where he needed without being questioned or judged.

He reached the elevator. No one seemed to be around, so he pressed the down button. He waited as the doors opened, and as soon as he saw nobody was in the elevator, he stepped in. He turned to face the buttons for the floors. He hadn’t gotten to examine the buttons earlier, but now he was surprised to see that there were at least fifteen floors below the bank. What kind of company required that many floors below the main building?

A shady illegal one, he reminded himself. Janus Chimera was involved in things that did not adhere to legal or moral standards. Virgil scoffed. How had he almost forgotten that?

He was pretty sure Mr. Chimera had said something about the seventh floor down, so he pressed the seven. The elevator shifted, and his stomach turned as it went down.

He wasn’t really sure why he wanted to see what was going on so much. Normally, he would stay out of this kind of thing, but he guessed he just wanted to see how bad Chimera was. How immoral was Janus Chimera? Why was he keeping hostages?

The doors opened. Virgil stepped out and peered around. He was in another hallway that went off to the left and right, and another led directly in front of him. He saw nothing on the left, but on the right was a large cluster of people. Almost all of them wielded a weapon of some sort. They were mostly silent, but one voice rang out above the silence.

“This isn’t the first time a hostage has tried to escape through unconventional means,” Mr. Chimera said, “and I doubt it will be the last. However, they have weapons now. We need to overpower them and try not to die.”

Virgil furrowed his brow. Hostages. So they were keeping people hostage down here. Why? Who were they keeping down here? Mr. Minder said they weren’t involved in human trafficking, but what if that was a lie?

Virgil started down the left hall, away from Chimera and his group. He needed to know what exactly was going on here.

He ducked down the hallway. It was empty, fortunately. He stopped at the end and peered around the corner. It didn’t look like there was anyone in his way. He rushed down the corridor, glancing around for something or someone that might provide him with answers. There was nothing in sight, just an empty hall. He passed by openings to halls, glancing down each one to see if there was anything important.

Virgil continued on his path, still keeping an eye out for any people that might be held hostage down here. Virgil couldn’t believe Dad would leave them with someone who did such a horrible thing as to kidnap people, if that really was the case here.

He reached the end of a hallway. A door stood in the wall, and with a moment’s hesitation, he reached out and grabbed the handle. He didn’t know what was beyond this door, or if there would be anything helpful or informative at all behind it, but he might as well check.

He hesitantly opened the door a crack. He peeked through. When he saw nothing but a wall to the side, he opened it more to see what was inside.

He heard a click close to his head and froze. “Ready to let us out?” a voice asked.

Virgil’s heart thudded in his ears like a bass drum. He looked up to see the muzzle of a gun pointed right at his head through the open door.

He suddenly regretted coming down here.


	15. The Hacker Forums Are Losing Their Shit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Andy comes across someone online who knows Patton Hart. Logan receives a message from someone he doesn't know.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me, knowing full well that this chapter doesn't resolve Virgil's situation at all as i read all the comments from people freaking out over the cliffhanger in the last chapter: *sips at my hot chocolate* how unfortunate

Remy smacked Pryce upside the head. “Stop moving so much, you’re rocking the car.”

Pryce scoffed. “Well, it’s not my fault these cheap seats are so uncomfortable,” she complained as she shifted in her seat for the fourth time in ten seconds.

Andy grimaced as she watched Pryce try to adjust her seatbelt. “It’s also not our fault that you’re used to driving around in a Rolls Royce. I’m looking at your bank account right now. How did you get so loaded doing small jobs?”

“Easy. Take someone in to whoever wants them, get the reward, move onto the next person the next day. Quick and easy.” She nudged Andy with her elbow. “You’re taking up all my seat space.”

“Am not!”

“Are too!”

“Pryce, I swear to god, I will get out my gun again.”

“Yeah Princey, stop being so difficult.”

“Don’t call me that!”

Andy heard Thomas and Patton heaved simultaneous sighs at the argument. They had only been driving through the city for a few minutes, but Andy was already fed up with being stuck in this car with some prissy bounty hunter and a frustrated Remy.

Not only that, but all of her senses were on high alert. She scanned the streets around them for anyone who could possibly be tracking them. She didn’t know if anyone had followed them from Thomas’s house, but she was almost sure someone had. It could be that one blue car on the street far behind them, or the cyclist riding along the side of the road, or the couple walking on the sidewalk hand in hand, or...

Andy shook her head and turned to look ahead at her laptop. She was fine for now. Nothing was wrong. She just had to keep a level head. That, and she wanted to know exactly where Thomas was taking them.

She poked her head into the front seat. “Thomas, where are we gonna go?”

“I think I might know a place,” Thomas said. His knuckles were almost white on the steering wheel. “Just make sure no one’s following us.”

Andy’s fingers danced on the keyboard of her laptop as she scanned the area. “Pretty sure we’re good,” she said. “I’m not seeing any familiar signals in our general area.”

“Wrath isn’t that stupid,” Pryce scoffed. “They could be blocking stuff. They can do that, right? I don’t know technological hacker stuff.”

Andy rolled her eyes. “I’m not answering stupid questions.” She turned back to her laptop. She loaded up a dark web forum page she frequented and set it aside to look at later.

Despite her own reassurances that they were in the clear, she still kept an eye out for anyone who might have been following them. It couldn’t hurt to play it safe.

“So, this place I’m thinking of taking you guys,” Thomas began as they turned down another street. “It’s got its advantages, but it could also be a little dangerous.”

Remy leaned into the front seat, cutting off his argument with Pryce. “Tell us the bad stuff first.”

Thomas paused. “There might be people from Wrath’s Blade there.”

“Then why are we going?” Remy practically shrieked.

“It’s a safe house,” Thomas interrupted before Remy could panic. “There’s no violence allowed there, and anyone who breaks that rule is banned, then automatically put on everyone’s shit list and sent out as a wanted person. It’s been in this city for a long time. It’s run by a neutral crowd in the criminal underworld. Every official gang and organization has connections there and everyone is welcome no matter what.”

Pryce rolled her eyes. “Ugh, _that_ place. I’ve been there. It’s kind of a shitty hotel, but it’s a good area to get information if that’s what you’re looking for.”

Andy leaned forward. “Are we talking about the Critic House?”

Thomas nodded. “Yeah. You help organize their databases, right?”

“Yeah, I’ve sent out a few bounties.”

“The Critic House?” Patton mumbled. “I think I’ve been there.”

Remy lowered his sunglasses to stare at Patton. “You’ve been to this place? When?”

“Long time ago, when I was still involved in the criminal underground stuff.”

“As long as we’re in their building, no one can touch us,” Thomas said.

“Are you’re sure this is a good idea?” Remy asked.

“Oh, cool your jets,” Pryce said. “Do you know how many times a target of mine has gone in that place and made it way too difficult for me to get them? I always have to bail on those jobs. I don’t have time to deal with it.”

“But what if there are Wrath agents already there?” Remy asked.

“No one is allowed to forcibly escort anyone else from the premises,” Patton told him. “Kidnapping isn’t allowed. Neither are murder and interrogation. I can’t believe I didn’t think of going to the Critic House before!”

Remy let out a frustrated huff. “But if we need to leave, Wrath is going to be right on our ass, along with pretty much every bounty hunter in the area! This is a bad idea, Pat.”

“What other options do we have?” Andy said.

Thomas furrowed his brow. “Remy has a point. We would just be driving you right into Wrath’s hands. We can try getting a hotel for tonight. For now, we can just jump around the city and see where things go from there.”

Andy considered their options. The Critic House might be the safest, but it wouldn’t remain that way for long. From what she knew, Patton’s main goal was to throw Wrath off his trail so he could live a few more years without having to worry about being stabbed in the back. Trying to work things out with Wrath was not an option. They would never listen to reason.

“That’s a better idea,” Patton admitted. “At least for now. If I ever left the Critic House, Wrath would kill me the first chance they got.”

“Alright.” Thomas turned down another street. “As long as we’re bouncing around, anyone want coffee?”

As Remy perked up and started pleading with Thomas to find a Starbucks, Andy tried to tune him out. She was too focused on something on her screen that was really bothering her.

She’d gone into her dark web forum page of fellow hackers, just to see if there was anyone else who had information on the bounty on Patton Hart’s head. There hadn’t been anything new for the past couple minutes, but a new post had popped up that caught her eye. There was a user whose most recent post concerned her. She read over the thread topic again.

_willing to offer $ for info on patton hart._

She chewed her lip, debating with herself. She clicked on the post.

_anyone who has any info possible on patton hart, pls respond. dm me and i’ll get you on a private message board for the info. can pay in either money or free hacking job._

Andy left the post and typed “patton hart” into the forum search bar. Her eyes widened when she saw the sheer amount of threads. There were so many hackers looking for him. There were more posts asking for information than posts actually providing the information everyone was searching for.

Andy brought up a normal Google tab and typed in Patton’s name. Nothing relevant came up. No social media. No pictures. No past forum posts on any site, no old MySpace or Facebook accounts, no information on any current or past jobs he may have had. It was as if he’d been wiped off the face of the earth. The only things she saw was stuff about other people with the same last name, but she doubted any of them were relatives of his. They looked nothing like him. No wonder people were searching for information on him. He had no internet presence anywhere.

Andy switched back to her other browser with the forum page. She combed through the posts asking for Patton. So many people were looking for him. She couldn’t blame people for being all over him. She’d seen how much that bounty was. Even she had been a little tempted to turn him in when she saw it.

She paused in her scrolling when she saw one post out of the ordinary. “IS PATTON HART ALIVE?” the topic screamed on her screen. She clicked on it.

_All I need to know is whether or not Patton Hart is alive. I don’t care about the bounty, and I don’t care about his issue with Wrath’s Blade. I am an unaffiliated acquaintance of Patton’s and I simply need to know if he is alive. I am willing to pay for information on his well-being._

Andy scrolled down. None of the responses were offering information. Most were asking if the original poster knew anything about Patton and was trying to bribe them into giving information. The original user had added an edit to the original post, saying _Do not respond if you are simply going to ask for information. I am merely an acquaintance and I will not be giving any information out to anyone who wishes to cause him harm. Please stop asking._

Andy’s cursor hovered over the username of the original poster of the thread. It read “Logic&Crofters”. Andy had seen that user a couple times before, but she’d never really spoken to them.

As Thomas pulled the car into a Starbucks parking lot, she clicked on the username and went to their direct messages. She hesitated, wondering if contacting this person was really the best idea. They could just be a Wrath agent trying to find Patton.

However, she didn’t get that vibe from this person. She knew next to nothing about them, but she was sure that what they said about knowing Patton was the truth.

She typed into the text box and sent a message.

*******

Logan stared in awe at the message that popped up in his inbox. He’d made a forum post on a website for unaffiliated hackers just a half hour ago. He wasn’t expecting any answers so soon.

A user by the screen name “MyChemicalAnxiety” was in his inbox with a message that he hadn’t expected to see. “patton hart’s alive,” it said. Nothing else.

He didn’t know what to think. This person had just showed up in his messages, said that, and nothing else. He didn’t know if he could trust them.

Logan’s fingers hovered over the keyboard. He hesitated, then typed a reply.

_Do you have proof?_

He sat back and waited for a response. A new message appeared on his screen just a minute later.

_idk if i can trust you man, you might wanna hurt him and that’s not what i want. how do i know ur not gonna turn him in??_

Logan thought about it. There was no way to prove that he was Patton’s friend without giving away any personal information.

_I suppose you would just have to trust me. Just know that I do not wish to cause harm to Patton or anyone close to him. I just need to know if he’s alive. I do not need information about where he is or who he’s with, just his current state of health._

There was no response for a couple minutes. Logan wondered if “MyChemicalAnxiety” had simply given up.

A new message popped up. It was an audio message. Logan hesitated, but he clicked the play button.

“Get me a black coffee,” said a voice that sounded close to whatever device they were speaking into. This must have been the voice behind the user Logan was talking to.

“What size, hon?” asked a more distant voice, and Logan’s eyebrows shot up. That was the voice of Remy, Patton’s close friend.

“Small,” said the first voice. “Patton, you want anything?”

Patton’s voice was a little muffled, likely due to his proximity to the microphone, but Logan would have recognized it no matter what.

“Hm? Oh, uh, I guess a hot chocolate? A small one. I’ll pay for it.”

“Babe, don’t worry, I got it,” Remy’s voice said. “Thomas, I’ll pay for yours too. Princey, you’re getting your own shit, you can afford it.”

A mess of sound came through the speakers as the holder of the microphone shifted their device and shut it off. Another message popped up.

_is that good enough proof?_

Logan typed back.

_Yes. Thank you for letting me know he’s alive. I can repay you however you’d like._

He pressed send. He was a little surprised at the next message that came up.

_don’t worry abt it, i’m just tryna help out_

_Then I will simply express my gratitude by offering my hacking services should you ever need extra assistance. I can also provide extra services such as weapons and surveillance should you need it. I owe you for this._

_sounds good, i’ll slide into your dms if i ever need help :P_

That was the end of the conversation as far as Logan was concerned. He closed the tab with the forum page on it and breathed a sigh of relief. So Patton was alive. Logan didn’t know where he was or who exactly he was with, but that was definitely Patton’s voice. And if he was with Remy, surely he was safe. Remy was very capable of protecting Patton.

Logan shifted in his seat, and a hot flash of pain shot through his side. The wound in his side still hurt. He would have to check on it later or get Janus or D.W. to do so for him.

He settled back on the couch. Patton was safe and alive. That would have to be enough for now.


	16. The Emo Kid Is Having A Panic Attack

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Virgil is in trouble. Janus doesn't know how to get him out of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thought i would update today instead of tomorrow since i have a longer work shift tomorrow and might not have time. the next chapter will be updated six days after this one instead of five. 
> 
> WARNING: there are guns in this chapter, and Virgil also has a panic attack, so if you'd like to skip it, i will leave a short summary in the end notes!

Virgil stared at the gun pointed at his head. His heart raced. Oh no, he was going to die here, wasn’t he? What should he do? Should he try to run before they shot him? Should he stay completely still and do whatever they wanted so they didn’t hurt him? That seemed like the safest option, but what if doing what they wanted involved letting them hurt him?

“Wait, hold on,” a new voice said behind the door. “That’s a kid.”

The gun lowered and the door was flung open. A man stood in the doorway, a woman at his side. He held a gun in his hands, and the woman had a hand on his shoulder. His eyes fell on the snake pin on Virgil’s hoodie, but he must have thought that it referred to the bank and didn’t now about the correlation to the criminal organization they were in, because he said nothing about it.

The man grabbed Virgil’s arm and pulled him inside the room. He shut the door, a frantic look in his eyes. Virgil took a millisecond to scan his surroundings.

He was in a large room with couches near the far wall around a coffee table. A TV was planted on the ground in front of the couches. A bunch of other people were lounging on the couches and watching whatever was on TV, but a couple were standing around holding weapons. Two people in jackets with yellow two-headed snakes emblazoned on their jackets were being held at gunpoint over in the corner of the room.

“There’s no reason for this,” someone from the couches called. “If our friends pay off their god damn debts, we’ll be out of here.”

“I’ve been here for a month!” the man with the gun shouted. Virgil flinched at the noise. “I’m not staying here any longer!”

“Oh, come on,” one of the Chimera employees scoffed. “We don’t hurt you, do we?”

“That’s not the point!” the armed man snapped. Virgil wished he would stop shouting. “I want out, and I don’t give a shit that my asshole wife doesn’t care enough to make one fucking payment to get me out of here!”

“Hey, who’s the emo kid?” someone from the couches asked.

“New hostage, I assume,” the woman next to the armed man said.

“Or a spy to take us down,” the man sneered, grip tightening on his gun.

Virgil took a step back. Oh god, he shouldn’t have come down here. This was a bad idea.

Someone on the couches stood and turned to face the armed man. “Look hoe, I’ve been here for two months and you don’t see me waving a gun around. Sit the fuck down and _let it go_.”

“No!” the armed man all but screamed. Virgil resisted the urge to cover his ear to block them from his verbal assault. “This is the furthest I’ve gotten in the past month, and I’m not stopping now!”

“Your stupid plans never work!” the person argued. “Seriously, can’t you just wait?”

“I’m done waiting! I—”

He stopped mid-sentence. Virgil wondered why, and then he heard it. Footsteps were making their way towards the door.

Virgil skittered back as the door flew open. A group of people flooded in, and he was surprised to see that Mr. Chimera was at the head of the group, a gun in his hand.

His gaze immediately fell on Virgil. His eyes widened. “Virgil? What are you—?”

He didn’t get to finish his sentence. Someone grabbed Virgil’s arm and yanked him away from Mr. Chimera, earning a loud yelp from Virgil. The person held him close to their chest (too close, way too close), and when Virgil started squirming to get away, they pressed something cold and metal to the side of his head.

He froze. Oh no.

“Anyone moves,” the man holding him growled, “and the kid dies.”

*******

This is exactly why Janus never wanted kids.

He stared at Virgil in shock, wondering how the hell the kid had gotten down here and why he had even come here. Had Virgil heard enough from the conversation Janus had with Teal to know where to go, or did he end up here by coincidence? And why the hell did he come down here if he knew it would be dangerous?

Janus’s gaze swept the room. Most of the hostages were sitting on the couches, staring at the scene with wide, terrified eyes, but a select few were holding some of Chimera’s agents at gunpoint. The armed man holding Virgil was, unfortunately, a hostage that Janus was familiar with. He’d thrown a fit or two down here, but they had never ended up like this. Janus had considered letting this man go before, but the guys’ wife still needed to repay some debts and needed some incentive. Maybe Janus should have listened to his instincts and let the man go as soon as he started getting aggressive.

Most of the other hostages lowered their weapons, glancing warily at the man with the gun to Virgil’s head. They seemed uncertain, as if they hadn’t expected this. They likely hadn’t. This particular hostage often went off the rails even with his own plans. He wanted out of the building, and he probably wouldn’t stop until he accomplished just that.

Janus held up his hands in surrender. “Alright. I won’t do anything. What do you want?”

The few agents who were no longer in danger of being shot looked to Janus for guidance. They were standing on the balls of their feet, ready to strike at a moment’s notice. Janus slightly shook his head to tell them to back down. He was not risking Virgil’s life. For now, playing along with this man’s game was the best way to make sure Virgil stayed safe.

The armed hostage grit his teeth, glaring at Janus with a feral sort of rage burning in his eyes. “I want out of this hellhole.”

“That can be arranged,” Janus said, and he wasn’t lying for once. “We will release you from our custody. Just lower the gun.”

The man shook his head. Janus caught the terrified look on Virgil’s face. Virgil’s chest rose and fell in rapid breaths, and Janus was afraid the kid would start hyperventilating right here and now. He was trembling from head to toe.

“What else do you want?” Janus asked. He tried to keep his tone calm. He hadn’t expected anything to escalate this far. He didn’t want it to aggravate the man and make it escalate even further.

“I don’t trust you,” the man spat. “Put down the weapons. All of you.”

Janus hesitated. He shifted his grip on his one weapon. He really should have brought a backup knife with him.

However, he motioned for the group of agents behind him to put their weapons down. He heard them all set their various bats, knives, and guns on the floor. He knelt down, keeping his eyes on the man, and very slowly set his pistol on the ground. He kept his hands up in surrender and straightened again.

“Okay, the weapons are down,” Janus said. “Now let the kid go, and we’ll bring you back to your wife.”

“Oh no, no, I don’t want back with her.” The man was shaking from rage. “She got me into this place by taking loans to fuel her fucking shopping addiction. She did this to me. I don’t want to be around her ever again.”

“That’s fine,” Janus said. His heart pounded faster as the man’s finger twitched on the trigger of the gun. “We don’t have to take you back to her. We’ll set you free wherever you want.”

The man sneered. “How do I know you’re not lying?” The muzzle of the gun pressed closer to Virgil’s temple. Virgil’s eyes widened and his breathing quickened.

Oh God. Okay. The kid was hyperventilating.

Janus glanced from the man with the gun, the other armed and confused hostages, Virgil, and the unarmed agents in the corner of the room. There were so many different things in the situation, it was hard to know what to focus on. One of the hostages on the couch was biting her nails, the show on TV was still going, an agent in the corner shifted her weight, ready to attack, Virgil’s breathing was so loud, reminding him of how high the stakes were, someone accidentally nudged a metal bat on the floor behind him—

He took a deep breath. Too many things were happening. He couldn’t have a shutdown now. He needed to keep a level head.

Janus looked back up at the man. “You just have to trust me,” he managed to say, but God, his voice was already getting quieter, and speaking felt awful, and he needed to move somehow _but if he did Virgil would die._

Thank fuck D.W. managed to notice his growing distress. “Listen,” she said, “you’ll just have to take our word for it. We will let you go if you let the kid go. I promise.” Her voice shook. She didn’t like guns. It was a miracle she was able to keep her head on straight.

The man looked from Janus to D.W. Janus silently prayed he man would believe them.

One of the other armed hostages shifted her grip on her gun. Janus didn’t realize what was going to happen until it was too late.

She raised her gun and fired. Virgil screamed and collapsed, and for one horrifying moment, Janus thought he was the one who was shot. The armed man whirled around and fired at his fellow hostage. Blood sprayed on the wallpaper and she crumpled.

Janus rushed for Virgil. He heard a thud as someone, likely D.W., tackled the armed man and pinned him to the wall. Chimera agents grabbed their weapons and began rushing around, trying to fix the situation, but Janus was only focused on Virgil.

Virgil was curled up on the floor, clutching his hood over his head, shaking like a leaf in the wind. His breathing hadn’t slowed at all, so Janus took that as a sign that he hadn’t been shot and wasn’t in the process of dying. Janus looked him over for any sign of blood without touching the kid, unsure of whether this was a meltdown or a panic attack and if it was okay to get close. Luckily, he appeared physically unharmed.

Janus took a deep breath to try and calm his own nerves. “Virgil, are you hurt?” His voice was still quiet, but at least he could still manage to speak.

Virgil quickly shook his head under his hood. “Am I allowed to touch you?” Janus asked. A quick nod was Virgil’s response.

Janus gently took Virgil’s shoulders and stood. Virgil followed the movement, uncurling from his former position but still hunched over. He whined in distress, voice hitching with every frantic breath.

Janus guided Virgil over to the door, motioning for the agents to move out of the way. They left the room, leaving behind the ruckus of the panicked hostages and the frantic agents. The lessened noise let Janus regain some control over his own senses a little. First thing to prioritize: get Virgil somewhere quiet. The ideal place would be Janus’s office, but Virgil needed quiet now. Perhaps the elevator would do for the moment until they arrived there.

They walked down the hall, Janus with his hands on Virgil’s shoulders to guide him while Virgil kept his gaze on the ground. His breathing hadn’t slowed yet.

They finally reached the elevator. The doors opened as soon as Janus pressed the button and he guided Virgil into the elevator. He pressed the button for the first floor. The doors shut, closing off the sound of the ruckus from the hostage’s living room. Janus pressed the button for the second floor down.

Virgil covered his hands with his sweater sleeves and clamped them over his ears over the hood of his sweater. He gently rocked back and forth on his feet. He was still breathing fast, and a cry escaped his lips through the hyperventilating. Janus was not very equipped to deal with this. However, he would have to do his best.

He kept one hand on Virgil’s shoulder. “Virgil, can you try to take a deep breath for me?”

Virgil sobbed again, but he nodded. “Alright,” Janus began, “try to breathe with me, okay?”

He took a deep, exaggerated breath. Virgil’s breath hitched as he tried to inhale, and the air left his lungs in a quick sob.

The second breath seemed to be a little easier, with a few less sobs. The third and fourth seemed to calm him down more, and the fifth nearly matched Janus’s breath perfectly.

Virgil took a sixth shuddering breath as the elevator doors opened. He gave another distressed whine. Janus guided Virgil out of the elevator and down the hall. Janus was lucky almost everyone from the top floor was downstairs instead of up here.

They reached the door to D.W.’s office. Janus took one hand off Virgil’s shoulder to open it. They could settle in D.W.’s office, but the lights in Janus’s room were much dimmer, and Janus just couldn’t deal with such bright lights.

He was vaguely aware of Roman and Remus sitting on D.W.’s couch and reading books from her shelf as he and Virgil made their way to Janus’s office. Janus nudged the door open and guided Virgil inside. The dim yellow lights were an immediate relief for Janus, but he still had to focus on Virgil.

Virgil squirmed away from Janus and scurried into the blanket fort his brothers had set up. Janus crouched down and peered in through the blankets. Virgil had immediately curled into a ball again, knees to his chest. He grabbed a blanket and wrapped it around his shoulders. He briefly covered his hands with his sleeves and flapped them before burying his face in the blanket. He whined again and rocked back and forth in his seat.

Janus hesitated, but he crawled into the fort and sat down. The light was even softer in here. With all the soft blankets and pillows from his couch, it felt like the perfect place to relax. He would have to keep this fort in his office.

“Anything I can do to help, Virgil?” Janus asked. His voice was hardly more than a whisper. Speaking felt awful. He wasn’t going to be able to say much.

Virgil peeked up from the blanket to look at Janus. He seemed to hesitate, but he scooted across the floor towards Janus. He sat right next to Janus and hid his face in the blanket again.

Janus wasn’t one hundred percent sure what to do with this. He assumed Virgil wanted some sort of comfort, so Janus carefully placed a hand on the kid’s back. Luckily, that seemed to be the right thing to do. Virgil leaned against Janus and huddled further into his sweater. His shoulders shook. Another sob left his throat. He kept rocking in his seat as he stuck his bat necklace in his mouth.

Janus gently rubbed Virgil’s back. “It’s alright, Virgil,” he whispered. “It’s okay. You’re safe now. Nothing’s going to happen to you.”

Now that everything had slowed down and they were safe, Janus allowed himself to relax as he comforted Virgil. His brain had reached its limit. Everything had happened all at once, and Janus hadn’t even processed all of it yet. He tried to speak again, but his voice had given up on him. There were so many things he was going to have to deal with. Someone had gotten shot, one of the hostages. He hadn’t even told anyone what to do with the hostage who started this whole situation.

He tried not to focus on that, however. He just sat in the blanket fort with Virgil, trying to stay calm.

He heard someone enter the room, and a small hand pulled a blanket aside to let someone peek into the fort. Roman and Remus stood there, Remus holding Virgil’s backpack. Remus slowly shuffled into the fort. He set Virgil’s backpack on the floor in front of him and retreated from the fort. Roman let the blanket fall over the entrance again.

Virgil lifted his head. He grabbed for his backpack and tried to unzip it. It took a couple tries, but he managed to get it open. He reached in and grabbed something that looked like a stuffed animal in the shape of a cat. He hugged it to his chest and buried his face in the blanket again.

Janus flinched as he heard D.W.’s office door open and close. “Jan?” her voice called out. “You in here?”

Janus couldn’t respond, not with his voice, at least. He tugged one of his gloves off with his teeth and snapped his fingers twice to alert D.W. to where he was.

Footsteps approached from her office. She pulled a blanket aside and poked her head into the fort.

“Hey, you two,” she whispered. “You both okay? Physically, at least?”

Janus nodded. He wanted to ask what was going on with the hostages now, but he couldn’t speak. However, he didn’t need to. D.W. seemed to already know what he wanted to ask.

“The hostages are fine,” she said, keeping her voice quiet. “Except for the one that was shot. She’s still got a heartbeat, but we don’t know how long that’s gonna last. The one who started this mess has been restrained and knocked out, and we’re going to drop him off at his wife’s house. We’re not sure what to tell the girlfriend of the hostage who was shot, but Magi said she would figure that out later. We’re working things out. The other hostages look pretty scared, so I was thinking we could get another Chimera leader in here to talk to them while I handle the legal stuff. Maybe Emile Picani from Sidehill. Would that be okay?”

Janus nodded again. Getting Emile to come in was a good idea. That man could probably calm down a herd of rabid dogs if he wanted to. The remaining hostages would need his help.

“Cool. I’ll give him a call. Make sure Virgil knows he shouldn’t go wandering the building without an escort. Let me know if you need anything.”

With that, D.W. disappeared from the fort.

Janus took a deep breath. So many things to deal with. He didn’t know if he could handle it all.

“Mr. Chimera?”

Janus jumped a little at the quiet voice. He turned his head to look down at Virgil. He’d uncovered his face a little and was staring up at Janus with teary green eyes.

“Thank you,” Virgil muttered.

Janus wanted to say something back. He dug around in his pocket for his phone and pulled it out. He opened the notes app and typed something with his one ungloved hand.

He held the phone out for Vigil to read. _Call me Janus._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Virgil ends up inside the room of hostages, and the one who started this situation holds him at gunpoint as Janus and everyone else bursts in. Janus tries to de-escalate the situation, but another hostage fires her gun and the violent hostage fires back. Virgil panics so Janus gets him out of the room, on the verge of a full emotional shutdown himself. Janus takes him back to his office to help him calm down. D.W. checks on them to make sure they're both okay and informs Janus that someone was shot but isn't dead. Janus knows he'll have to deal with this issue, but for the moment, he needs to calm down before he can take any action.


	17. Well, Now I'm Kind Of Worried About The Snake Man

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Virgil is glad that Mr. Chimera is taking them away from the bank, but he can't help but notice that Janus seems to be just as bothered about the previous events as Virgil is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay i'm kind of tempted to turn this fic into an entire AU series because i have some ideas for oneshots that i might want to write in the future, and i'm already planning on possibly writing a short Remus-centric sequel. would any of you read a sequel if i wrote one or be interested in any oneshots that take place in this AU? please let me know because i don't know what exactly i want to do with this AU

Virgil kept a blanket around his shoulders as he sat in the pillow fort, listening to Mr. Chimera talk about serious crime things with the people in his office. Virgil hadn’t left the pillow fort, but Roman and Remus had joined him soon after Mr. Chimera had to leave and deal with whatever happened on the seventh floor. The three of them just sat and listened to the voices in the room.

“As soon as Emile Picani gets here from Sidehill,” Mr. Chimera’s voice said, “I’ll send him down to the seventh floor. The hostages are going to need some comfort. Alex, I want the shot hostage’s girlfriend on the phone to sort out the debt she owes and inform her of the injury. We’ll be letting her debt go and paying for all medical needs. Teal, get a couple others to help you take the hostage who was shot to the infirmary if that hasn’t already been done. If it has, assist with any medical procedures that need to occur, or take the hostage to the hospital if extra assistance is needed. Magi, you reassign the hostage guards to different interrogation assignments for the day.”

Roman leaned in to Virgil. “What are they talking about?” he whispered.

Virgil shrugged, not in the mood to engage in conversation. He wasn’t in the mood to do anything, really. He just wanted to go home.

Virgil saw people’s legs walking past the fort as they passed by on their way to the door, having been given their tasks. “D.W.,” Mr. Chimera’s voice said, “is there anything left to handle?

“A few,” D.W. said. “I’ll be changing the security around the hostages as soon as things calm down. We should put a couple security cameras in their hallways. Also, I’ve made a note to look into every hostage’s past before we kidnap them. We don’t want any more people with violent tendencies causing harm to other hostages.”

“Thank you,” Mr. Chimera said.

Virgil heard more footsteps as D.W. left the room. Her footsteps were immediately replaced by another person’s as they entered the room.

“Jannie!” said an excited voice. “Do you how do, you wonderful snake?”

Virgil raised an eyebrow. Had he heard that wrong? It wouldn’t be the first time he misheard something, but he was fairly certain this new person had said “do you how do”, which made absolutely no sense grammatically.

“Dr. Picani,” Mr. Chimera said. “Lovely to see you again. Or do you prefer Dr. Chimera?”

“Either or is fine!” said this new person, Dr. Picani. “Oh, sorry, am I a little too loud?” he said in a quieter voice. “We don’t have to speak verbally if you don’t want to.”

“No, I should. Don’t worry about me. It’s the hostages downstairs that need help.”

“Janus, don’t be a be a Steven. You’re working too hard to make things better and harming yourself in the process. If you’re working yourself to a shutdown or burnout, you need to take a little while to relax.”

“I don’t remember booking a therapy session today, Emile.”

“This is just friendly advice, Jannie. Go home and take a break. Dorothy and I can handle everything.”

A pause. “Are you sure?”

“Yeppers. Remember, don’t force yourself to speak if you can’t handle it. You and D.W. are the bosses here, Jannie. You can shut your door and not let anyone in if you don’t want to. You make the decisions.”

“Thank you, Emile. I’ll keep that in mind.”

“No prob, Bob!”

“It’s Janus.”

“I know. Take a break, Jan. I’ll see you when I sort things out.”

Dr. Picani’s footsteps walked past the pillow fort and left the room. Virgil poked his head out of the blankets just in time to see Dr. Picani’s khaki-clad legs walk out the door.

Virgil turned his head to look at Mr. Chimera. He was leaning back against his desk, staring at the floor. He glanced up at Virgil but said nothing.

Virgil retreated back into the fort. He didn’t know what Mr. Chimera’s deal was, but he definitely looked stressed. Virgil couldn’t blame him. Everything that had just happened was... intense to say the least. Virgil shuddered as he thought about it. That gunshot still echoed in his head. He’d hardly seen anything, but he remembered seeing someone on the floor surrounded by something red.

Remus’s hand rested on Virgil’s shoulder. “Deep breath, Virge.”

Virgil did as Remus said. The breath was shaky, but he managed to take another that was more even. He really needed to calm down.

He poked his head of out of the blankets again to look at Mr. Chimera. He’d told Virgil to call him Janus, but it felt odd to refer to an adult by their first name. However, he thought he’d give it a try.

“Janus?”

Mr. Chimera looked up at the sound of Virgil’s voice. “Yes?”

“Are you okay?”

Mr. Chimera blinked at the question. “Yes. I’m perfectly fine, Virgil. I believe we’re going to leave for home a bit earlier than I previously thought we would. I don’t think you three should be around here at the moment.” He narrowed his eyes slightly. “Also, a word of advice to all three of you: do _not_ wander the building without an escort. I don’t need a dead kid on my hands. Got it?”

Virgil swallowed nervously. He already regret saying anything. He nodded frantically.

“Good,” Mr. Chimera said, his tone short and clipped. “Your father would shoot me if anything happened to his children. That’s not an exaggeration.”

He nearly jumped three feet in the air when the phone on his desk rang. He snatched it off his desk as if desperate to stop its ringing, then hesitated before bringing it to his ear.

“Hello?” he said. He paused. “Yes, I want her on the phone. She needs to know.” Pause. “Thank you.” He took a deep breath as if trying to calm himself. He was silent for another moment, then he plastered on a smile as if the person on the other end of the call could see it. “Hello, Miss Short. I called because I have some things to discuss with you. Repaying your debt is no longer necessary.” Silence. His smile wilted. “I’m... I’m afraid that might be an issue.” He sighed and shut his eyes. “Miss Short, I regret to inform you... earlier this morning, another hostage... threw a fit. He got a hold of a few weapons, and...” He swallowed. “Miss, your girlfriend was shot.”

There was silence from both Mr. Chimera and the other voice on the phone. The person on the other end suddenly started shouting, and while Virgil couldn’t make out what she was saying, Mr. Chimera apparently could.

“I know,” he said over her yelling, “it wasn’t supposed to happen, we didn’t know the other hostage was that hostile and—”

He stopped and just sighed as the other person yelled through the phone. Virgil could have sworn he saw tears in Mr. Chimera’s eyes, but it was hard to tell from this distance.

Virgil felt someone tug on his sleeve. He glanced next to him to see Remus, a scared look on his face. “Is that a lady yelling on the phone?” he asked quietly.

Virgil nodded. Remus glanced out at Janus. “Is it Mother?” Remus asked.

“No,” Virgil said immediately. “It’s not. I don’t even think Janus knows how to contact her. You’re safe.”

Remus relaxed a little. “Okay.” Still, he cuddled up to Virgil, looking more like a five year old than an eleven year old.

The shouting on the phone faltered. “I’m sorry,” Janus repeated. His voice was quiet, hardly more than a whisper. “This has never happened before. We didn’t know the other hostage would do something like this. I am incredibly sorry that I let things get out of hand. I am letting your debt go and I will pay for all medical bills. She isn’t dead yet, but others have reported that she is currently in an unstable state. Should there be anything else you need financial help with, I am willing to support you.”

Virgil heard someone sniffling on the other end of the line. Janus’s shoulders stiffened. “If you’d like, I can arrange a meeting in order to discuss this further. I really am sorry, Miss Short. I will not be available for the rest of the day, but my substitute, Magi Sailor, would be more than willing speak with you in person later, and I’m sure she can let you see your girlfriend if you wish. I will transfer your call back to Alex.”

He took the phone away from his ear and set it back on the desk. He took out his cell phone and typed on it for a moment before shoving it back in his pocket. “Kids, I think we should go back to my place. D.W. will get a ride from someone else when she decides to come home. The three of you shouldn’t be here right now.”

Roman and Remus exchanged identical confused glances, but Virgil understood why. “Come on, guys.”

He crawled out of the fort, backpack clutched in one hand. He had tucked D.W.’s copy of Fahrenheit 451 in the front pocket since she told him he could borrow it. He stood and pulled his backpack straps over his shoulders as Roman and Remus followed him. He felt a pang of concern rise up in his chest as Mr. Chimera started shoving things into a briefcase. He hardly knew Mr. Chimera, but he wasn’t going to pretend like he didn’t care. The guy looked like he was on the verge of a breakdown.

Mr. Chimera closed his briefcase and walked to the door. Virgil followed after him, gesturing for Roman and Remus to come with them. They both scurried after Virgil, hand in hand.

The three of them trailed Mr. Chimera out of D.W.’s office and out into the hallways beyond. They walked towards the elevator, passing by concerned looking employees, most of which were carrying weapons of some sort. The sight of them set Virgil on edge.

However, they reached the elevator without any disasters happening. Virgil chewed on his bat pendant as the elevator doors opened and the four of them stepped inside.

Mr. Chimera’s demeanor didn’t change when the doors shut. His back remained perfectly straight and his face was void of any expression that might indicate some kind of emotion. However, Virgil noticed that he wouldn’t stop tapping his finger on the handle of his briefcase.

The doors opened and they stepped out into the main bank area. “I’m leaving early,” he said to the bank tellers as he passed. “Magi’s in charge.”

He said nothing more to them and continued to the door. He held it open for Virgil and the twins, and they hurried out of the building.

The three of them followed Mr. Chimera to the parking lot. Mr. Chimera put his briefcase into the trunk of the car. Roman and Remus hesitated, but they both clambered into the backseat as Mr. Chimera went around to the driver’s seat.

“Janus?” Virgil said quietly. “Can I sit in the passenger seat?”

Mr. Chimera just nodded. He sat in the driver’s seat and started the car.

Virgil opened the door and sat in the passenger seat. He still didn’t like the car. It was still too unfamiliar. However, he wasn’t about to complain about the leg room. He buckled up and listened to Remus rolling the window up and down as Mr. Chimera pulled out of the parking lot. Virgil had actually wondered if Mr. Chimera knew how to drive since he had D.W. do it for him, but it looked like Virgil had been wrong. He should have known the guy could drive. He was an adult after all.

He stared out the windshield as the drove along through the streets. Mr. Chimera’s grip was tight on the steering wheel. His entire body was tense. Virgil didn’t blame him for being stressed. Everything that had just happened was...

Virgil put his hood over his head when his thoughts turned to the events that had occurred maybe half an hour ago. His panic had gone down a substantial amount, but God, he was glad they were leaving.

It didn’t take long to arrive at Mr. Chimera’s house. They pulled up into the driveway, and as soon as Mr. Chimera parked the car, he left the driver’s seat and strode to the house without grabbing his briefcase from the trunk.

Virgil furrowed his brow and climbed out of the car. He hurried after Mr. Chimera. Janus looked really distressed. Despite hardly knowing the guy, Virgil wanted to make sure he would be okay.

He followed Janus up the steps and into the house. Janus seemed to deflate as soon as he stepped inside, and he all but collapsed onto one of the couches in the living room. He buried his face in his gloved hands and didn’t move. Virgil offhandedly wondered where Mr. Minder had gone or if he was even still in the house, but his question was answered when the door to the right of the room opened and Mr. Minder stepped out.

“Janus, why are you—?” Mr. Minder stopped mid-sentence as his gaze fell on Janus. “Oh, Jan, what’s wrong?” He shuffled over to Janus, one hand on his side as if it was hurting. He shot a glance at Virgil. Virgil just shrugged.

Mr. Minder grabbed a blanket off the couch. “Here.” He draped it around Janus’s shoulders.

He turned and walked to the hallway, one hand still on his side. “Roman, Remus, you two should go in the dining room. Virgil will join you shortly. Virgil, I would like to see you in the kitchen for a moment, if that’s alright.”

Virgil’s anxiety shot up. He didn’t know what Mr. Minder wanted to talk to him about, but he automatically assumed he was in trouble or something.

He clutched the straps of his backpack as he followed Mr. Minder down the hall to the kitchen door. It was already open. Mr. Minder nudged it shut once Virgil entered the kitchen.

“What do you want to talk to me about?” Virgil asked. He couldn’t make himself speak much louder than a whisper, mostly because of his panic attack earlier and the shutdown that followed.

Mr. Minder walked to the counter and turned on the electric kettle. “Janus is unable to speak at the moment, otherwise I would ask him what happened this morning. He doesn’t often shut down this badly after work, so I’m assuming something serious occurred, am I correct?”

Virgil nodded slowly. Everything that happened was still a little hard to process, but he knew enough to explain the gist of it. “I heard something about hostages throwing a fit on the seventh floor down. I don’t know what’s up with them keeping hostages or whatever, but... I don’t know, I got curious and went down there to look.”

Mr. Minder opened a cupboard and grabbed a ceramic mug. “You went to check because you don’t trust Janus, correct?”

Virgil didn’t really want to admit it, since Mr. Minder was obviously very close with Mr. Chimera, but he nodded. Mr. Minder could read him like a book.

“I understand why, Virgil,” Mr. Minder said. “I’m not upset with you for distrusting him. What happened after you went downstairs?”

Virgil brought his bat necklace to his mouth and chewed on it for a moment. “One of the people down there had a gun. He... he got angry and he aimed it at me. Oh, but Mr. Chimera and a bunch of other people ran in first. Then the guy aimed the gun at me. Mr. Chimera tried to calm him down, but another lady who had a gun tried to shoot the guy who was aiming his gun at me. I don’t know if she hit him. Someone got shot. I don’t know who.” He wracked his brain, trying to recall the details. Try as he might, he couldn’t remember who had been hit.

Mr. Minder grabbed a bag of hot chocolate powder from the pantry and started scooping it into the mug with a spoon. “That’s alright, Virgil. It’s okay if you can’t recall everything. You’ve told me enough.” He set the mug next to the kettle as he waited for it to heat up. “On a lighter note, I found out something earlier that I believe you might be glad to know.”

Virgil blinked, a little confused. “What is it?”

“Your father, as of one hour ago, is still alive.”

Virgil’s emotions immediately shot through a whole fucking rollercoaster. There was shock at first, and that melted into overwhelming relief and happiness, then spiked into fear as to where Dad was and who he was with, and settled into sadness over the fact that Virgil couldn’t see Dad right now.

“How do you know?” Virgil asked through his battling emotions.

“I received information from a secondary source that I believe to be reliable.” The water in the kettle began to boil and Mr. Minder shut it off. He poured the water into the mug and mixed it with the spoon. “It was just a voice recording, but Patton’s voice was unmistakable. He is with Remy, as well as three other people. One is a hacker I contacted for information, another is named Thomas, and the third is someone they called ‘Princey’. I doubt that’s their actual name, but that’s all I know. I am unsure of whether he is accompanied by anyone else, but I don’t think he would make the mistake of travelling in a large group, so those must be the only people he is with. As far as I know, Patton is safe.”

Virgil’s feelings finally settled on relief. “Is... is there some way I can talk to him?”

“I don’t think that would be wise, Virgil. Your father is on the run from some powerful people, and he chose to cut off all communication with you for a reason. The hacker I spoke with is suspicious that I have malicious intent towards your father, and I don’t want to test that suspicion by asking for a way to communicate. They could completely cut me off and not provide me with any more information if they decided I was dangerous.” He finished stirring the hot chocolate and turned to the door. “I’ll take this to Janus. You can join your brothers in the dining room and I’ll make some lunch.”

Virgil jammed his hands in his pockets. This new information was a relief, but still, today had been more than exhausting to deal with. He needed some way to cool down.

“I can make lunch,” he offered.

Logan nodded, a faint smile on his face. “Sounds good. I would suggest Kraft Dinner. Both you and Janus seem to like it.”

With that, he walked back to the door and left with the hot chocolate in his hands.

Virgil took off his backpack and set it on the floor. He started for the pantry, rolling up his sleeves along the way. Hopefully, cooking something would help him settle from his shutdown.

As he grabbed a box of Kraft Dinner and set it on the counter, only one thought was running through his mind: Dad was alive. He didn’t know where Dad was or how long he would remain safe or how long it would take to see him again, but that was good enough for now.


	18. Oh Cool, We're Being Chased Now

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Being on the run is more stressful than Patton would like. Unfortunately, he and the others end up getting chased through the city, and throwing these people off their trail is near impossible. Until Patton directly intervenes, that is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO THAT NEW SANDERS ASIDES, HUH-
> 
> i'm not going to talk about it just in case some of you haven't seen it but AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH I'M SCREAMING
> 
> anyway, warning for this chapter: there are guns and shooting, and someone gets shot but that doesn't go into detail. there is some blood but i don't think it's graphic enough to warrant writing a whole summary at the end of the chapter. if it is though, and you want to read the chapter without having any of this violent stuff described, let me know and i'll write a summary in the end notes!

Patton couldn’t stop glancing around the booth their group had settled in. “Are you guys sure this is safe?”

“We’ll be fine,” Andy reassured him for the fifth time. She hadn’t stopped messing with her laptop since they entered the restaurant. “I’m not seeing any familiar signals. We’re not being followed.”

“Not yet, at least,” Pryce mumbled. She sneered down at the food in front of her. “Do you people really eat this crap?”

Remy bit into the burger he’d ordered. “Shut up, Princey,” he mumbled through the food. “This is what you’ve got. Deal with it.”

Patton sighed as the two of them launched into an argument. They had long since left the Starbucks behind and had opted to sit down in a fast food restaurant for a late lunch. Patton didn’t think staying in one spot for too long was a good idea, but the others were insistent that they would be fine.

Pryce grumbled under her breath. “I still don’t see why you can’t just let me go. I don’t have anything to do with this issue.”

Andy glared at Pryce. “You’d give away our location just to get the bounty money.”

Pryce raised a brow and didn’t respond for a moment. “Okay, you got me there.” She picked at the fries in front of her. “This is still disgusting.”

“Suck it up and eat your damn food,” Andy snapped.

Patton grit his teeth. He couldn’t stand this constant arguing. He had so many things to worry about right now, and this wasn’t helping his nerves.

Thomas must have noticed his agitation, because he set a hand on Patton’s shoulder. “We’ll be fine. Let’s just enjoy the little bit of downtime we have right now.”

Patton took a deep breath. Thomas was right. He just needed to chill.

Andy set aside her empty plate and continued typing. “We shouldn’t stick around too long, just in case. Are you guys almost done?”

Thomas nodded. “I’ll get the cheque.” He waved a waiter over to their booth.

Patton picked at the salad he’d ordered as Thomas talked to the waiter. He just wasn’t hungry, despite the fact that he hadn’t eaten since yesterday. He knew it was just stress and he actually needed to eat, but he couldn’t make himself eat much. His worries were killing his appetite. He couldn’t stop thinking about the possibility of Wrath following them, and if he wasn’t thinking about Wrath, he was thinking about his kiddos. He hoped they were doing okay. And he hoped Janus was adjusting well to having the kids with him. The guy was never keen on having children.

Patton finally pushed his plate aside. He decided to stop trying. Nothing as going to stop him from worrying.

The waiter left to get their cheque. Pryce grumbled under her breath as she dejectedly ate her food. Remy finished off his meal, and his eyes flickered to Patton’s plate. He lifted his sunglasses to give Patton a look of concern. Patton just waved a hand dismissively. He didn’t need Remy worrying about him.

Andy’s fingers clacked on the keys of her laptop. “Hey, guys? We might have a tiny problem.”

Patton’s heart leaped into his throat. “What?”

“I’ve got my eye on someone,” she said. “They just walked in. I’m trying to get into their phone, but I can only do so much. This bitch has so many anti-malware programs just on their phone. They’re on the public wifi, so I might be able to get in through there.”

The waiter returned. He and Thomas had a short discussion as Thomas paid for their meal. Patton kept his head on a swivel, searching for whoever Andy had found. Was it the woman walking to the counter arm in arm with her boyfriend? Was it the man in the suit who looked like he’d just walked in from a job interview? Was it one of the young college students who had just walked in as a group?

Andy shot to her feet, startling the waiter. “We have to go.”

Thomas handed the waiter a handful of twenties. “Keep the change.” He stood. “Guys?”

Everyone else stood and grabbed their bags as the waiter stared on. “Sir, I think you over payed—”

“Just keep it,” Thomas said. He stepped out of the booth. “Thanks for the meal.”

The rest of them hurried after him, although Pryce grumbled as Andy grabbed her wrist and practically had to drag her after the group. Patton saw Remy put his hand in his pocket and heard the faint click of a gun.

“They’re really close,” Andy whispered. She balanced her laptop on one arm and let go of Pryce’s wrist to type. “Whoever follows us out of here is who we need to watch out for. They might even call for reinforcements. I don’t know if this is Wrath or a bounty hunter, but we have to move.”

They rushed to the door. Thomas held it open for the others as they ran out.

Remy grabbed Patton’s hand and pulled him to Thomas’s car. “Get in the car, get in the car, get in the car,” he muttered, as if repeating that would somehow magically make them get to the car safely.

Pryce frantically glanced around the parking lot. “God, if I’m seen with you, people are gonna come after me too. Can you please just let me go?”

“Not a chance, Princey,” Andy said. “I don’t trust you as far as I can throw you.”

“Fair enough.”

They piled into the car. Remy took the passenger seat this time, while Patton was stuck behind the driver’s seat. Thomas jammed the keys into the ignition and started up the car.

“Where are we going now?” Remy asked.

Andy quickly buckled up her seatbelt and returned to her screen. “I don’t know, but I’m pretty sure we’re gonna have company.”

They sped out of the parking lot, earning a couple angry honks for the cars on the street when Thomas cut them off. “This is fine,” Thomas whispered, knuckles white on the steering wheel. “This is totally fine. Andy, anyone coming after us?”

“It’s hard to tell,” she said. “There are too many signals and we’re too far away from the restaurant.”

Patton glanced back through the window. He didn’t see anyone trailing them for a moment, but then he watched a black car pull out of the restaurant parking lot and drive after them. Patton couldn’t see the driver, but he saw someone poke their head out of the passenger side window.

A nervous laugh escaped his lips. “We’re screwed, we’re screwed, we’re so screwed.”

His panicked thoughts were interrupted by a loud _bang_. He nearly jumped right out of his seat. “What the hell was that?” he squeaked.

Remy twisted around in his seat. “They have guns! Are you kidding me?”

Patton turned to look out the window. Sure enough, the person in the passenger seat was leaning out of the car with a gun in their hand, pointed right at them.

Pryce scrambled to dig through her pockets. “Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit—” She brought out a gun of her own. “Hey sunglasses dude, you still got that gun?”

“Yep.” Remy grabbed his pistol from his pocket.

Thomas grit his teeth. “Okay, everyone buckle up. I think things are about to get a little nuts.”

They ran a red light. Other vehicles honked furiously around them. Patton muttered every prayer he could think of that they wouldn’t crash into another vehicle. He looked out the back window and saw that the black car was still following them. They were freaking lucky there wasn’t that much traffic in this part of the city. Otherwise, they’d have gotten stuck in a traffic jam already and could have been shot to death by now.

Andy frantically typed on her laptop. Patton had no idea what she was trying to do, but he doubted it would help them in the middle of a freaking car chase.

Thomas jerked the wheel to the side. A flash of pain went through Patton’s head when he bumped it against the window. He realized that he hadn’t buckled up and quickly snapped his seatbelt in place.

“We’re gonna have the cops on our asses too at this rate,” Remy grumbled as he loaded his gun.

“I’m sorry, do _you_ want to drive?” Thomas asked. “Hold on, we’re running another light!”

Patton heard another gunshot and shrank down in his seat. The car swerved and almost collided with another vehicle. Patton half-heartedly hoped the people chasing them would get hit, but one glance behind the car told him they had made it through the intersection unharmed.

“How do we get out of this?” Pryce said, watching as the black car dodged other vehicles.

“There’s another car coming this way from the left,” Andy said. “Turn right at the next street.”

Thomas didn’t hesitate to follow her advice. He swerved to the right and zipped down the next street.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” Pryce cursed. “Sunglasses, open the sunroof.”

“What? Why?”

“Just do it!”

Remy reached up and flicked the switch for the sunroof of the car. It slid open. Pryce stood up and poked her head through the sunroof, perched on her seat. She pulled her arms up with the rest of her torso and aimed her gun at the car behind them. Patton looked through the window and saw that another black car had joined the chase. He covered his ears as three gunshots rang through the air from Pryce’s gun. A bullet hit the tire of one car and it swerved. It didn’t stop, but the change in speed put them further behind the other car.

“There’s less traffic on Front Street,” Andy said. “We should be able to go straight down and pick up some speed.”

Thomas skirted around a semi truck. “Sounds good to me!”

Pryce ducked back into the car as the people chasing them fired off another round of bullets. “Seriously, how the hell are we gonna get them off our ass?”

Remy rolled down his window. “Stop somewhere and fight them on foot, maybe?”

“That’ll get us killed!” Patton shouted.

Thomas glanced in the rear view mirror. He slammed his foot on the brakes. Pryce and Remy both shot forward. Pryce almost fell into the front seat and Remy hit his head on the dashboard.

Patton watched as the black cars shot past them. They must not have been expecting them to stop. Thomas turned the wheel and hit the gas. Tires squealed on pavement as they sped down a different street, leaving the black cars behind.

“Warn a dude next time!” Andy groaned, rubbing her forehead. She must have hit her head on Remy’s seat.

“Sorry!” Thomas said as he moved the car past a motorcyclist. “You guys okay?”

“Just fucking peachy!” Pryce poked out of the sunroof again and steadied her aim.

Remy cocked his gun and stuck his head out the window. “Why are you even helping, Princey? I thought you didn’t want any part in this!”

“We’re in the middle of a car chase, Sunglasses!” Pryce shouted. “We’re in the same boat! If you go down, I go down, and I’m not going down!” She fired her gun with a grimace.

Patton shrank down in his seat as Thomas picked up speed. He felt so useless. There was nothing he could do to help in this situation, and the others were all doing this because of him in the first place.

“Andy, where to?” Thomas asked.

Andy grit her teeth. “Street to the right. Get on a clear highway.”

Patton yelped as the car leaned to the side. Pryce let loose another few bullets. Red splattered against the windows of the one car she had already shot, her dozen bullets shattering the windshield. A semi swerved to avoid it. A lump formed in Patton’s throat when he saw the semi tip over. He’d caused all this. If he had just given himself up to Wrath’s Blade from the beginning, none of this would have happened.

“Nice shots, Princey!” Andy shouted.

Pryce ducked back into the car with a grin, her red hair messed up from the wind. “Thanks!” She loaded her gun again.

Thomas kept his foot heavy on the gas as they sped through the streets. “Where’s the other car?”

“Getting pretty close!” Remy yelled. He fired another shot out his window. More gunshots rang through the air as the black car returned fire. “Got any ideas on how to throw ‘em off?”

Andy ran a hand through her hair and grimaced at her screen. “I’m thinking!”

She looked up and scanned the street around them. Patton did the same. They had ended up in a part of the city that was more roads than buildings. They zipped onto a bridge that went over a tunnel. The black car followed.

Patton watched the black car. He didn’t know what do to. How were they supposed to get out of this mess?

An idea popped into his head. He didn’t like it, and it had been so long, he didn’t even know if he could do it anyway. However, he had to try something.

Patton turned to face everyone else. “Everyone buckle up!”

Remy raised an eyebrow, cocking his gun. “Why?”

“Just do it!”

Remy and Pryce both sat in their seats and buckled their seatbelts. Patton held his hand out to Remy. “Gimme your gun!”

“Why?”

“No time for questions!”

Remy furrowed his brow, but he handed Patton the gun. Patton froze for a moment as soon as he wrapped his fingers around the handle. His left index finger automatically rested on the trigger. It had been so long since he’d held a gun. He wasn’t glad to have one in his hand right now.

He shook off his initial shock. He rolled down his window and then unbuckled his seatbelt.

“What are you doing?” Remy asked.

Patton didn’t respond. He clambered out and sat on the open window, his legs the only part of him inside the vehicle. He heard Remy shouting in confusion and concern, but Patton was in no danger of falling out of the car. He leaned against the car to keep his balance. Despite having not been in a car chase like this in years, his muscles still seemed to remember what to do.

He held the gun in both hands and aimed it at the black car. He took a deep breath to steady his hands.

He fired.

A bullet hit the driver’s forehead. Blood burst against the broken windshield and the car swerved. It crashed into the side of the bridge. Patton squirmed back in through the window as the sound of crunching metal met his ears. He rolled up the window, breathing heavily.

The car was silent for a moment. Thomas lessened up on the gas until they were going the speed limit. They drove in silence for a few seconds, processing what had just happened.

Patton held the gun out to Remy. “Here.”

Remy held up a hand. “No,” he said firmly. “You keep that.”

“But—”

“No, no, no.” Remy turned around in his seat to face Patton and took off his sunglasses. “Keep that. If someone comes at us, you’re in charge of blasting their head off.” He put his sunglasses back on and turned to face the windshield.

No one spoke. Patton hesitated, but he flicked the safety on and jammed the gun into his pocket. Without anyone speaking to distract him, the guilt of what he just did started to weigh down on him. He had saved themselves, sure, but there had been people in that vehicle. Living, breathing people. And he killed them to save his own skin.

He hadn’t really changed at all over the past ten years, had he?

“Nice fucking aim,” Pryce whispered.

Patton just nodded at what he assumed was supposed to be a compliment. He didn’t want to think about it.

“Where to next?” Thomas asked.

“Let’s find a hotel,” Andy suggested. “Lay low for the rest of the day. We might have to ditch the car since someone obviously recognized it.”

“We could roll by your house and pick up my bike,” Remy offered. “Two vehicles might be better than having all five of us confined to one.”

“You read my mind, Rem.” Andy shut her laptop and shoved it in her bag. “Think we can get back to your house without getting murdered?”

Pryce scoffed. “With Deadshot over here, I’m pretty sure we’ll be fine.”

Patton tensed. “I mean... my aim’s not as good as it used to be...”

“You hit a person in the forehead in a moving car in one hit,” Pryce pointed out. “You’re even better than I am.”

Patton didn’t respond and just sank into his seat. He wasn’t proud of that. He hoped none of them would ever bring up the subject again.

They drove on in silence.


	19. I Will Express A Little Emotion, As A Treat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Logan is worried about Janus. Janus is still reeling from the events of the day. He also can't stop wondering what to do about Patton Hart's kids.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is kind of a filler chapter with no real plot, but i figured these guys deserve a break after all the angst i've put them through (and all the angst yet to come). this chapter and the next are mostly going to be filler with a little foreshadowing, but we'll get back into the action soon, i promise!

It was unfortunate that Logan hadn’t come prepared to teach Roman and Remus anything. If he’d known Patton’s kids would have been here, he would have brought math workbooks and some writing supplies.

However, he could make do with what he had. He was lucky Janus had a printer in the living room. He printed off a few pages of some worksheets he’d found online and found a few pencils scattered around the living room. He’d taken them to the dining room so he could teach the twins while Virgil remained in the kitchen. Both of the twins were far behind on their math skills, although they were far ahead in their reading. To be fair, they had been out of school for a few months back when they lived on the streets, so they still had much to do in order to catch up.

Logan sifted through the worksheets. He set one in front of Remus and another in front of Roman. Both twins looked up from where they had been doodling on the backs of a couple papers with their pencils. Logan sat in the chair right between them.

“We’re going to try some more division today,” Logan said.

Both twins groaned in disappointment. “Really?” Remus whined.

“Come on, teach, do we have to?” Roman grumbled.

“It’s part of your education,” Logan reminded them. He may not have been good at taking care of children, but convincing them to learn was often easy. “I’ll be doing some math lessons with Virgil later if he’s up for it. If you’d like, we can wait until then to start yours so all three of you can do them together.”

Remus and Roman’s faces brightened immediately. “Can we?” Roman asked.

“If you’d like to. You can continue drawing if you want.”

Both of them eagerly flipped over their papers and continued scribbling. Logan knew full well that one of the twins would get curious eventually and flip the page back over to attempt a math problem sooner or later, which would lead to them calling Logan for help. Logan just had to give it some time.

He heard the front door open and close. “Jan, Lo, I’m home,” D.W.’s weary voice called out.

Logan pushed himself to his feet, wincing at the pain that flashed through his side. “I’ll be right back.”

He walked to the door and stepped out into the living room. D.W. was currently taking off her blazer to toss it on the floor. She collapsed on the couch with a horribly exhausted sigh.

“Busy day?” Logan asked.

“Yeah.” She sat up and leaned against the back of the couch. “It took a lot to get shit sorted out. Jan’s gonna have to talk to the lady whose girlfriend was shot. Magi scheduled a meeting with her for tomorrow. The woman said she needs time to process everything.”

“Makes sense.” Logan straightened his tie. “Janus is upstairs. Roman and Remus are in the dining room, and Virgil is making lunch in the kitchen.”

D.W. blinked. “The kid’s making lunch?”

“Yes. Virgil enjoys cooking. I believe he and Janus would get along well in that regard. He’s just making some Kraft Dinner. It should be finished in a few minutes, actually.”

D.W. nodded. She raked her hands through her hair, which had come loose from its bun and was sticking up in coils. “If you want, I can watch the twins and you can visit Jan.”

Logan considered it. He was going to run through some math lessons with the twins, but D.W. was perfectly capable of helping them with some simple division problems when they inevitably asked for help.

“Roman and Remus will likely ask you for help with some simple math problems,” Logan said. “They’re both currently working on sixth grade math. I do have some seventh grade worksheets in case they find the math I gave them to be too easy.”

“Alight.” D.W. stood and walked to the dining room. “Shit, man, I haven’t done math since college. Not that I remember college much at all. Pretty sure I got tossed out of a window.”

Logan found himself smiling at the remark as he followed behind her. “I’m sure you’ll have no trouble with fifth grade math.”

D.W. snorted. “Wanna bet?”

They entered the dining room. “Roman, Remus,” Logan said, “I am going upstairs to speak with Janus. D.W. will be able to assist you should you need help.”

D.W. flopped down into the seat Logan had previously occupied. “Alright, kiddos, what are we doing?”

Logan turned to the stairwell and made his way up the stairs, leaving the three of them in the dining room. The healing wound in his stomach burned with every step, but he ignored it. Walking up a set of stairs wouldn’t do any damage.

He reached the top of the stairs and walked down the hallway to Janus’s door. He gently knocked on the wood. “Janus?” he said, making sure to keep his voice quiet.

When he received no response, he opened the door open a crack and peeked inside. The room was bathed in the soft yellow lights that Janus preferred. The curtains over the window were shut, blocking out the bright sunlight. Janus was sitting at the desk to the side of the room, hunched over with his face in his arms. He had taken off his suit jacket and bowler hat. Both were tossed haphazardly to the floor.

Logan was tempted to leave. He didn’t know if Janus was sleeping or not. However, Janus raised an arm and gave a half-hearted wave to let Logan know that he was still conscious.

Logan shut the door behind him. “Can you speak?” he asked softly.

“A little,” Janus’s quiet voice answered. He lifted his head and looked up at Logan.

Logan strode over to the desk and sat on the edge of it. He was worried about Janus. It wasn’t often that he shut down after work like this. Then again, Janus didn’t often experience things like this at work. He was mostly shut away in his office.

Logan reached out and ran a hand through Janus’s hair. “Would you like to talk about it, Sunshine?” Pet names weren’t something Logan used often, and neither was physical contact. Those were affections Janus tended to use more. However, he found that expressions of love and concern eased Janus’s nerves.

Janus took a deep breath. He ran a gloved hand over his face and remained that way, leaning on the desk with Logan’s fingers carding through his hair.

“I feel unprofessional,” Janus whispered finally. “I’m the leader of a crime ring, for fuck’s sake. I shouldn’t be upset over seeing one person get shot. I’ve seen dozens of people get hurt. I’ve _killed_ dozens of people. I don’t know why this one is... bothering me so much.”

Logan gently scratched at the hair on the back of Janus’s head. “Is there anything specific about the situation that’s bothering you?”

Janus leaned down again to cover his face with his arms. Logan kept his hand in Janus’s hair. “I don’t know. Everything has suddenly changed over the past day. The kids are in the house, and I’m just... aware of their presence even if I can’t see them, and it sets me on edge. I don’t know how to properly talk to them. I accidentally made one of the twins cry yesterday.”

“Roman?”

“Yes. I snapped at him. I didn’t even know I did it.” Janus sat up again. “Virgil will hardly speak with me. And on top of the issue with the kids, I go to work this morning to a huge problem and get overwhelmed almost right away. The only thing I could manage to do was get Virgil out of the room while everyone else handled the issue. I feel... incompetent. I rushed out of the room without helping. Everyone else must think I’m pathetic for needing to leave like that.”

Logan thought about Janus’s words. Janus often blew situations out of proportion. It was more than likely that no one thought that of him and only thought that he had been focused on removing Virgil from the situation.

“Everyone else probably thought that you were focused on Virgil,” Logan answered. “There is no need to feel embarrassed about helping Virgil leave an anxiety-inducing situation. Besides, there is no shame in leaving a situation you can’t handle. Even if it had only been you, you don’t have to make excuses for anyone. You are the boss. And if you want to leave something for everyone else to deal with, you can. You can’t control when you get overwhelmed, so if you need to leave, do it. I’m sure Emile Chimera would tell you the same.”

Janus heaved a sigh. “He did.” He leaned into Logan’s hand and shut his eyes. “Thank you.”

“No problem, darling.”

Janus smiled a little. “Look at you with the pet names. Are you drunk or something?”

Logan felt his lips twitch into a grin. “No, I’m not. Do you feel any better?”

“A little. Thank you, dear.”

Logan leaned down to plant a kiss on Janus’s forehead. Janus hummed contently at the affection. He angled his head upward to capture Logan’s lips with his own. Logan couldn’t hold back a smile as Janus began to pepper small kisses all over Logan’s face. A giggle that bordered on childishly giddy bubbled up in his chest. He had come in here to comfort Janus, and of course, the man had turned the figurative tables in order to sprinkle affection on Logan instead. Or maybe the actions of expressing his love for Logan was a form of comfort for Janus in itself. Either way, Logan wasn’t going to protest.

The door opened and they both nearly jumped away from each other. They stared at the open door, where Virgil stood with two bowls of mac and cheese and a wide-eyed look on his face.

He took a step backward. “Uh, I can come back later if you—”

“No, it’s alright,” Logan interrupted. He pulled away from Janus and straightened his tie. “You can come in.”

Virgil rocked back and forth on his feet, seeming unsure, but he stepped into the room. “I made lunch. It’s not much, but D.W. said I should bring you some. I mean, if you’re hungry. I don’t know if it’s even good, I haven’t eaten yet.”

“I’m sure it tastes fine, Virgil.” Logan stood and took the two bowls from Virgil’s hands. “Thank you for the meal. I’ll be downstairs shortly after lunch in order to begin some math lessons with you and your brothers.”

Virgil kept his gaze trained on the floor. “Okay. Sorry for bursting in like this.”

Janus cleared his throat. The pale blotches on his face were flushed red with embarrassment. “Thank you, Virgil.”

Virgil turned to the door. “I’m gonna go bleach my eyes now. See ya, Chimera.” He waved with a two fingered salute and left the room in a rush. He shut the door behind him.

Janus sighed. “Well. That was embarrassing.”

“He’s never going to take me seriously anymore,” Logan mumbled as he set both bowls on Janus’s desk. He liked to seem professional around the kids he tutored, and now that Virgil had seen him giggling like a schoolgirl, his entire reputation as a serious adult had vanished.

He felt Janus’s gloved fingers intertwine with his own. “I take you seriously,” Janus said with a genuine smile.

“I know, darling.” Logan pressed a kiss to Janus’s hand. “Now eat up.”

*******

After lunch, Janus finally changed out of his work clothes and into a t-shirt and a pair of shorts. He’d kept his gloves on, of course, but he shoved a second pair into his back pocket since his current pair was going to get covered in dirt. He’d had a tiring day already, so he felt he might as well cool down with some gardening in the backyard.

He carried a tray of pansies to the flowerbed lining the porch and set them down, trying to clear his mind of his racing thoughts. He wanted to get the hostage situation out of the way. Stressing about it now was tiring. He was tempted to hop right back into the car and drive back to the bank just to get the problem over and done with.

However, he knew that Emile would send him right back home the second he saw him. So instead of getting anything productive done, Janus was stuck at home digging in his flowerbed.

He heaved a great sigh and carefully dug a shallow hole with his hands. The hostage problem wasn’t the only thing bothering him. He still didn’t know what to do with the kids. He wanted them to feel safe for the amount of time they were staying with him, but he didn’t know how to help them feel comfortable in the house. He had a few ideas, sure, but he didn’t know if the kids would be up for it.

The back door opened. Janus looked up to see D.W. walking onto the porch in a swimsuit, a towel draped over her arm. “I’m gonna do a couple laps,” she said, hopping off the steps and making her way across the yard to the pool.

“Have fun,” he called as he pulled the pansies over to him. He gently took one from the tray with its square of soil and set it in the shallow hole he’d dug. He packed dirt around it to fill in the hole.

He picked up the tray and moved to another empty spot in the flowerbed. He let his thoughts wander as he planted the pansies in his garden. The kids were inside the house with Logan, working on some sort of math thing that Janus didn’t particularly care about. All Janus cared about was getting the hostage situation sorted out and figuring out what to do about Patton Hart’s children. It felt like all of his issues were suddenly piling up. He knew they were technically only two problems, but God, they were big problems. He tried not to worry about the hostage situation, since that would resolve itself tomorrow (hopefully).

Janus heaved a great sigh as he planted the last flower from the tray. He’d come out here to relax, but he’d just ended up working himself into more stress.

He straightened his sun hat and walked back up to the porch, where a few more trays of unplanted flowers sat. He could hear D.W. swimming back and forth in the pool, which made it difficult to decide what to plant next. He still had some petunias he needed to find room for, but there were also a few snapdragons he had to work into the flowerbeds.

He turned away from the flowers with a frustrated huff. He needed to figure out how to solve one problem, at least.

Janus stepped off the porch and walked over to the pool. He stayed well away from D.W.’s splash zone as he sat down and dipped his feet in the water. She was the only reason they’d gotten a house with a pool in the first place. She had insisted they have one, despite the fact that she was the only one out of the two of them that ever used it. Janus just didn’t like the feeling of being submerged in water, and he especially hated getting his hands wet.

He swished his legs through the water and watched D.W. swim to the other side of the pool. He had an idea of how to help the kids, but he’d need a second opinion.

D.W. pushed off the opposite ledge and swam back over to the side of pool Janus was sitting on. She popped her head out of the water and grabbed the edge, taking deep breaths. She shook her head and water sprayed everywhere. Janus flinched when a droplet splattered on his face.

D.W. reached for the water bottle she’d set down near the pool. She popped it open and paused when she saw Janus. “Oh, hey Jan. Sup?”

He shrugged. “Just thinking.”

D.W. took a swig of her water. “About what?”

“What to do about the kids.” Janus tugged at his dirty gloves. “I just want them to feel comfortable here, and I want to feel comfortable around them, but...”

“But they’re strangers in your house,” D.W. finished.

“Exactly,” Janus sighed. “I don’t know how to deal with children, and now that there are three of them under my responsibility, I don’t know what to do.”

“Well, why don’t you talk to them?”

Janus hesitated. “I’m a little afraid to speak to them.”

D.W. raised an eyebrow. “Jan, you’re telling me that you’ve faced Patton Hart when he was at the top of his career and gotten out of there alive... and you’re afraid of talking to a fifteen year old.”

“I know, it’s completely illogical!” Janus scoffed. He idly kicked his feet through the water. “But what if he doesn’t even want to speak with me?”

“You won’t know until you try.” D.W. pushed away from the edge and floated in the water. “Are you sure you don’t need an appointment with Emile?”

“I’m fine,” he reassured her. He thought about his options. It couldn’t hurt to maybe try talking to the kids. “I’ll talk to Virgil later. Thank you, Dorothy.”

“No prob.” She turned and dived back under the water.

Janus took his legs out of the pool and shook the water off. He wasn’t going to interrupt the kids’ tutoring lesson, but he might as keep gardening if he couldn’t go back to work.


	20. I Can Tolerate The Emo Kid

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Janus tries to clear some of the awkward tension between him and Virgil. D.W. thinks these kids might just be one of the best things to drop into their lives.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> alternate summary: Janus is an awkward uncle who's trying to be cool, Virgil is a mildly anxious teenage mess, and D.W. already wants to adopt the kids. 
> 
> another sort of filler chapter, just because these bitches need a break before shit hits the fan!!

Virgil waggled his pencil between his fingers and looked at Roman and Remus across the table. Both were busy trying to work on some division problems. Mr. Minder had left the room to check his wound again. Virgil had almost forgotten that Mr. Minder had gotten shot just last night.

Virgil set down his pencil, unable to properly focus on his own math. “You guys wanna switch around the betting pool?”

Roman and Remus both perked up. Remus furrowed his brow and tapped his pencil on his worksheet. “What do we have on the table right now?”

“We’ve got my old Ever After High Raven doll,” Virgil said, “that one rat skull you found in an alley, and Roman’s collection of shiny things. Are we changing our bets?”

Roman scratched his chin, deep in thought. “I’ll change it from two shiny things from the collection to three, and I bet the next time we see them, Dad and Remy are gonna be together.”

Remus nodded thoughtfully. “I’ll throw in a weird jagged rock I found on the sidewalk.”

“You wanna change what the bet is?” Virgil asked. “It’s gonna be hard for Dad and Mr. Minder to get together since Mr. Minder’s with Mr. Chimera.”

“Hmm... you’ve got a point.” Remus scratched his chin. “I bet Dad and Remy aren’t going to be together when we see them next, but they’ll realize that they fell in love while Remy was protecting Dad and they’ll decide to be together soon after they come back.”

Roman gasped out loud. “That would be so cute!”

Remus turned to Virgil. “Virge? Got anything to add?”

Virgil considered his options. “I can toss in an old cloak from another Raven doll I got customized a year ago. And I bet...” Virgil grinned. “I bet they’re gonna be _engaged_ by the time they get back.”

Both Roman and Remus gasped at that. “I wanna be a flower boy!” Roman squealed.

“You think they’re gonna be that close already?” Remus asked.

“They’ve known each other for years,” Virgil pointed out. “Remy’s pretty much a second dad to us at this point. I’m starting to think they’re already together and just hiding it.”

Roman scrambled off his chair. “Hang on, I’ll be back. I gotta write something down.”

Virgil and Remus exchanged a knowing glance. There was no stopping Roman when he was hit with writing inspiration. Unfortunately, the kid was a hopeless romantic, despite having never been in a relationship ever in his life, so inspiration often hit when they discussed their father’s love life.

Virgil rested his elbows on the table, kicking his legs back and forth. “Ree, you working on your math?”

“Nope.” Remus held up his paper. “Been drawing.”

Virgil peered at the page. Remus didn’t write like Roman did, but he could certainly draw. On the back of his worksheet was a sketch of an impressively detailed sea monster, along with a little human figure floating in front of it, staring horrified into the monster’s eyes. If they had pencil crayons, he could have coloured and shaded it as well.

“Looks cool,” Virgil said. “You draw anything else?”

Remus hesitated as he lowered his paper. “Just... just stuff.”

Virgil didn’t press him for details. Remus often drew scary, graphic things that popped into his head. Mr. Minder said it was good for him to have an outlet to express his intrusive thoughts if he didn’t want to speak about them. Due to the constant doodling of his disturbing thoughts, Remus had gained some incredible drawing skills and moved onto drawing other things as well.

The door behind Virgil swung open and Mr. Minder entered the room. He glanced around in confusion. “Where’s Roman?”

“Writing,” Remus answered as he flipped his worksheet back over and continued to doodle around the edges of the page.

Mr. Minder sighed and sat down in one of the chairs. “This is math time, not English. And Remus, that goes for you too. You both need division practice.”

Remus sighed, but he turned back to his math. Virgil did the same.

Footsteps thudded on the stairs and Roman burst into the room with a happy grin, a notebook in his hands. His gaze settled on Mr. Minder and his smile melted. “Oh. Sorry teach, I was just—”

“I know, Roman,” Mr. Minder said. “Don’t worry, I’m not upset. We need to focus on your lessons for now. Is that alright?”

Roman scuffed his feet on the floor. “Can I just write down some jot notes?”

“Yes, you can. You can keep your notebook open while you work in case you need to write anything down.”

With that, Roman’s expression brightened more and he rushed up to his chair. Virgil scribbled down the answers to the math problems Mr. Minder had given him. He was only supposed to be on tenth grade math, but Mr. Minder had him move onto eleventh grade stuff a while ago. He punched equations into his graphing calculator as Mr. Minder helped the twins with their division.

It didn’t take long to finish off his worksheet. This stuff was relatively easy. He waggled his pencil back and forth and let his mind wander as the other two worked.

*******

Janus was still covered in dirt by the time he went back into the house, but he was okay with that. Gardening did eventually help him sort out his thoughts. Now all he had to do was get started making supper and try to talk to the kids.

Well, and find a vase for the roses he’d clipped from his rose bush for Logan. Call Janus sappy, but he liked cheesy romantic gestures, and he thought Logan would like flowers.

He walked into the house, roses in one gloved hand. Dirt clung to the yellow fabric. He’d have to put on a clean pair before he stepped into the kitchen. He walked up to the dining room door and nudged it open. Surely there was a vase somewhere in the dining room he could use.

Janus stopped in the doorway when he saw that the kids were in the dining room, along with Logan. All four of them looked up at Janus as he entered the room. He was sure he looked a little ridiculous, with dirt covered gloves, a crooked sunhat on his head, and a bouquet of roses in his hands.

Logan stood up from his chair with a smile. “Janus, where did you get those roses?”

Janus felt his face heat up. “Um, my rose bush bloomed and I thought I would... bring some inside. Not for you, obviously. I mean, why would I bring a bouquet of roses to the man I’ve loved for years?”

Roman gasped out loud. “That’s so cute!” he squealed. “Are you married?”

Janus was sure the pale side of his face had turned completely red. He cleared his throat and turned his gaze to the floor. It was so frustrating that he couldn’t keep his composure when it came to Logan.

Logan gently took the flowers from Janus’s hands. “They’re lovely, dear.” He pecked Janus on the cheek. “I recall seeing an empty vase in your room. I’ll take these upstairs. I can also take your dirty gloves so you can get started on dinner.”

Logan shifted the roses to his arm and gently tugged Janus’s gloves off. “Thank you,” Janus said.

Logan turned and walked to the stairs, flowers and dirty gloves in his hands. Janus felt a little awkward, being alone in the same room as the children, so he turned to go to the kitchen.

“Are you guys married?”

Janus paused and glanced back at the kids. Roman stared at him eagerly, waiting for an answer to his question.

Janus took his extra pair of gloves out of his pocket and pulled them on. “That is not your business,” he said quietly, trying to keep his tone flat and calm so Roman didn’t take his answer harshly and get upset.

Roman’s face fell, but luckily, he didn’t start crying. He sat back down and scribbled something in a notebook that was open on the table next to a math worksheet.

Janus shot a glance at Virgil. The kid wasn’t doing any work. Instead, he was waggling his pencil back and forth in his hand, staring down at the table. One look at the worksheet in front of him told Janus that Virgil must have already finished whatever he was supposed to be working on. Well, now would be a good a time as any to talk to him.

“Virgil,” Janus said, already feeling awkward about the conversation despite the fact that he’d hardly said anything yet. “In the letter your father wrote me, he mentioned that you enjoy cooking. I was wondering if maybe you would like to assist me in making supper. That is, if you’re finished with whatever work Logan has you doing.”

Virgil exchanged a confused look with Roman and Remus. He tapped his pencil on the table as he thought about the offer. “I mean, I guess. Are we gonna start cooking, like, now?”

“We can, yes. It’s late enough that we can start whenever you want.”

Virgil blinked. He still seemed a little confused by Janus’s offer, but he stood up from his chair. “Alight.” He looked at his brothers. “Tell Microsoft Nerd I’m done my math.”

Remus nodded. “Gotcha.”

Virgil brushed past Janus and made a beeline for the kitchen. Janus hesitated, but he followed. There was no reason for him to feel so awkward. He was the one who had asked Virgil for his help in the kitchen in the first place, after all.

He took off his hat as he entered the kitchen. Virgil was already at the stove, staring at the buttons as if trying to figure out how it worked. “So, what are we making?” Virgil asked.

Janus set his hat on the island. “Well, I hadn’t actually decided yet. I was going to ask you what you wanted to make.”

Virgil blinked. “Oh.” He twirled his necklace in his fingers. “This might sound dumb, but... could we have pancakes?”

“That sounds perfectly fine to me, Virgil,” Janus assured him. It was a bit of a relief that Virgil felt as awkward as he did. At least he wasn’t alone in his nervousness.

“Dad has a recipe we use for pancakes,” Virgil said. “We don’t need pancake mix.”

“What all do we need?”

“Where’s your flour?” Virgil asked.

Janus strode to the pantry and opened the door. An open bag of flour sat on the floor. “Just in there.” He crossed to one of the cupboards and grabbed a measuring cup from inside. He set it on the counter and walked to one of the drawers to grab a mixing bowl.

He returned to the counter to see Virgil standing there waiting with a cup of flour. He set the bowl down and Virgil dumped the flour in. Virgil hurried back to the pantry for another cup of flour.

“What else?” Janus asked as Virgil dumped in the second cup.

Virgil gnawed on his bat pendant. “Do you have something to write with?” he muttered around his necklace.

Janus turned to the counter. He was sure he’d seen a notepad somewhere in one of the drawers. He opened one and rummaged through it. An old memo book popped up in the mess, a pen jammed through its coils. He took it out and held it out to Virgil.

Virgil took the notepad and tugged the pen out of the binding. He flipped the book open, scanning it for a blank page. He set it on the island to write. He scribbled some words on the page and slid the notepad over to Janus. Janus leaned down to peer at the words Virgil had written. A recipe was scrawled on the page.

Janus straightened once he’d read over the recipe. He actually found it quite impressive that Virgil could remember an entire recipe from scratch. Janus cooked almost every day, and yet he hadn’t committed a single recipe to his memory.

“I’ll grab the ingredients,” Janus said. He walked to the pantry and peered around for the sugar. Goodness, he needed to organize this place.

“This place is a mess,” he muttered, pushing aside a can of soup.

“Just like my life,” Virgil’s voice mumbled.

Janus snorted at the remark. “Me too, kid.” He found the bag of sugar and grabbed it off the shelf in both hands. He left the pantry and set it on the counter. Virgil must have found the measuring spoons, because he dug a tablespoon into the sugar and dumped it in the bowl with the flour.

Janus retrieved the milk, eggs, and various other things from the fridge and pantry, allowing Virgil to work in near silence. The kid seemed more in his element in the kitchen. He bustled about like he’d been using this kitchen his whole life, cracking an egg in one hand while uncapping the vanilla with his other. Janus didn’t know whether he should step in or if Virgil even remembered he was there.

Virgil reached to shut the egg carton. His arm nudged the bag of sugar, and it began to tip over.

Janus lunged forward and pushed it upright before it could spill all over the counter. Virgil jumped back as if he just noticed the mistake, clutching his bat necklace for dear life. “Holy shit,” he blurted, back pressed to the island. He frantically muttered a dozen apologies as Janus pushed the sugar closer to the wall where it wouldn’t be in danger of falling.

“Sorry,” Virgil mumbled. “Sorry, sorry, I didn’t see it, I—”

“Virgil,” Janus said, interrupting Virgil’s frantic muttering. “It’s alright. No harm done. Even if it had fallen, it’s just a little sugar. Are you okay?”

Virgil raised his necklace to his mouth. “Yeah. Just... I guess I forgot you were here.” His shoulders tensed. “God, I’m sorry. I’ve been doing everything. Did you want to do something?”

Janus shrugged. “Doesn’t matter to me. Do what you want.”

Virgil still looked uncertain. “Are you sure?”

“Stop second-guessing yourself, Virgil. You can do what you want to. I’m not your parent. You don’t always have to look to me for direction if you don’t want to.”

Virgil grimaced. “I guess.”

“Is there another problem?” Janus asked.

“It’s stupid,” Virgil sighed. “It’s just... you’re here and you’re not doing anything so I’m anxious that you’re going to watch me and judge me. It’s dumb.”

Janus glanced up at the cabinets. “I’ll get all the plates and utensils for when it’s time to eat. I won’t be paying attention to you and you can do your thing.”

Virgil furrowed his brow, as if mildly surprised at that. “Sure.” He turned back to the bowl of batter.

As Virgil finished mixing the ingredients together, Janus grabbed a frying pan from a cupboard in the counter and set it on the stove. Janus turned the stove on, with a glance at the recipe Virgil had written down to make sure he put it at the right heat. He was glad that Virgil was able to do something he enjoyed, but Janus still couldn’t shake that awkward tension in the air. Having kids in the house was a lot more nerve-wracking than he ever thought it would be.

“Virgil?” Janus said as he opened the cabinet of plates.

Virgil tensed at the sound of his voice. “Yeah?”

“I know you might not be comfortable in this house yet, but I just want you to know that if you need anything—and I mean anything at all—you just have to ask. D.W. and I are willing to accommodate for you and your brothers.” He adjusted the heat on the stove. “So, is there anything you might need?”

Virgil poured some pancake batter onto the pan. Janus still felt awkward, but the tension seemed to have dissipated a little.

“I’ll think about it,” he said after a moment. “Can you grab the syrup?”

*******

D.W. set her fork down on her empty plate and pointed to Janus across the table. “Jan?”

Janus looked up from his own plate, where he was currently dragging a forkful of pancake through a puddle of syrup. “Yes?”

“Can you _please_ use this recipe next time you make breakfast?”

“Absolutely not, Dorothy,” Janus said, raising his fork. “You know I’m completely incapable of following a recipe when I make food.”

“Good.” D.W. looked at Virgil, who appeared a little confused at the exchange. “This is your dad’s recipe?”

Virgil shrugged and turned his gaze to his mostly empty plate. “Yeah.”

“Well, your dad is a fucking genius.”

“Watch your language around the kids,” Logan reminded her as he wiped a splotch of syrup off his face with a napkin.

“It’s okay,” Remus said. “I already know what fuck means.”

Roman set down his fork. “Remus! You can’t say that!”

In response, Remus set down his own fork and cupped his hands around his mouth. “Fuck!” he shouted.

“Language,” Janus and Virgil said at the same time. They glanced at each other awkwardly before turning their attention back to their food.

D.W. gazed around the table as the twins started arguing over curse words. Unlike last night, the two of them were loud and excited. D.W. chalked it up to the fact that they had gotten a familiar meal and felt more at home with Logan in the room. They playfully argued back and forth while Logan tried to separate them so they wouldn’t get out of hand and knock over their plates. Virgil had been quiet for most of the meal, but D.W. caught him smirking every time Logan put himself between the twins and ended up with syrup or icing sugar on his tie. Remus had launched a strawberry at his tutor and it hit him in the forehead, which almost pulled a full on laugh from Virgil. As for Janus, he mostly stayed focused on the pancakes on his plate, but every time Logan sat down after dealing with the twins, Janus and Logan would hold hands under the table.

Neither Janus nor Virgil contributed to the dinner conversation much at all, but this was already a stark contrast to the lackluster, quiet meal they’d had the night prior. With Virgil added to the table, Roman and Remus seemed to feel more comfortable, and with Logan in the house... well, D.W. might even go so far as to say that this felt a little bit like a family.

But only a little. She wasn’t going to get too attached to the kids or anything. They would have to go home eventually anyway.

However, looking at Janus’s face, she couldn’t help but notice something.

He was smiling. A genuine, happy smile. That was something he did so rarely, D.W. could count the amount of times it had happened in the past year on one hand.

D.W. found herself smiling as Logan struggled to separate the twins from each other again. Whether she and Janus wanted to admit it or not, these kids being dropped on their doorstep was probably the best thing that had ever happened to the two of them.


	21. I Really Should Not Have Flirted With A Stranger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Andy takes the others to a hotel to stay at for the night, and Patton already has a bad feeling about their stay in this place. Remy decides to flirt with the receptionist, hoping to make some more connections with people in Sidehill. Things don't go the way he planned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: this chapter has kidnapping, and by extension, non-consensual drug use. you can stop at "Remy took another sip of his drink" and start reading again at the next break in the chapter. there will be a brief summary in the end notes in case anyone who skips the chapter still wants to know what's going on!

Patton stared out the window of the car as Thomas drove. They’d already stopped by Thomas’s house to pick up Remy’s bike, and he was driving right in front of them with Andy on the back of the bike. Pryce sat in the front seat of the car next to Thomas. They’d opted to keep Patton in the back since it was harder to see him through the back windows, and anyone chasing them was looking for him, so keeping him hidden was their priority.

At least, that was the explanation Patton had come up with. In reality, they told him to stay in the back because he could see both sides of the road that way and shoot at anyone following them. That reasoning made a knot of bad feelings form in his stomach, so he told himself it was the best place to stay hidden in order to help him feel better.

Still, he kept Remy’s pistol in his hands and his head on a swivel, trying to spot anyone in the surrounding traffic who might have been tailing them. So far, he hadn’t seen anyone suspicious, but he couldn’t be too cautious.

Andy was directing them across the city to a hotel she’d found that seemed safe enough. Patton still wondered if going to the Critic House would be safer, but he trusted everyone else’s judgement. If they thought hiding out somewhere else was a better idea, he would believe them.

Remy and Andy eventually led them to a parking lot of a small hotel. It looked a little run down, but the lesser known it was, the less likely any of Wrath’s agents would come looking for him there. By Patton’s standards, it was perfect.

Thomas parked the car and they all clambered out of the vehicle. Remy and Andy hopped off the bike, removing their helmets. Patton was tempted to try again to give Remy’s gun back, but he knew that after his little display of marksmanship earlier, Remy would probably never take it back.

“This place looks like a shithole,” Pryce muttered. “I didn’t even bring any extra clothes to stay the night. You guys just whisked me away with you without warning me I would be spending the night with you losers.”

“Give it a rest, Princey,” Andy said. She shouldered her laptop bag. “It’s not like I have much, either.”

“I packed some of your stuff in my bag,” Thomas said, slinging his backpack over his shoulder. “Don’t worry.”

Andy put a hand to her chest and stared at him with wide eyes. “Bro... you were thinking of me?”

Thomas put a hand on her shoulder. “Bro, I also brought your extra laptop charger.”

Andy stared at him with a mixture of gratitude and affection. “Bro.”

Thomas nodded in response. “Bro.”

Pryce rolled her eyes. “Oh my god, shut up. Let’s go get our room already.”

She trudged across the parking lot to the doors. Thomas and Patton exchanged an uncertain glance before following after her. Maybe it would have been best to leave her behind. She clearly didn’t want to be here any more than the rest of them wanted her there. However, she had admitted it earlier herself; she would give them up for the bounty money if she had the chance. They had to keep an eye on her.

Remy linked his arm with Patton’s. “Well, babe, no use waiting around. Let’s go.”

They all made their way across the parking lot together and entered the building. They hurried to catch up to Pryce. Inside the hotel wasn’t too fancy. There was just a general reception area with some couches set against the wall. A few potted plants were placed around the room as decoration. They all stopped at the front desk.

Remy shouldered his way to the front of the group to speak to the receptionist. “Hate to bother you, hon, but do you have any rooms available?”

The receptionist behind the counter looked up. His eyes widened and his gaze traveled down Remy’s body and back up again. “Um... yes, we should. Let me check for a moment.”

He turned to his computer, shooting a couple sideways glances at Remy and smiling. Patton was used to seeing people react this way to Remy. He could probably flirt his way out of anything.

“We have a few empty rooms,” the man said. He looked up at Remy with a flirtatious grin. “Is there a specific room on a specific floor you were looking for?”

“If you’ve got any on the bottom floor, we’ll take that one.” Smirking, Remy lowered his sunglasses to look at him. “I mean, if that’s alright with you.”

“It sure is.” The receptionist dug around in his desk and brought out two key cards. “If you’d like, I can show you to your room.”

Remy leaned against the counter. “How about you tell my friends which room it is so they can get settled and you and I can work out the payment details?”

The man’s cheeks flushed red. “That works for me.” He handed Remy the key cards. “It’s room 134.”

Remy held the key cards out to Patton without taking his eyes off the receptionist. Patton resisted the urge to roll his eyes at Remy and took the cards. He handed one card to Andy. The four of them made their way to the door that led to a hallway of rooms, leaving Remy to his flirting.

Patton scanned the door numbers as they passed. Despite the fact that he didn’t like having a gun on him, part of him was grateful for it. He kept one hand in his pocket, holding the gun with his finger on the trigger. He hadn’t even turned the safety on, but his finger was steady. He’d never misfired a gun in his life. He wasn’t going to break that habit now.

They reached the room and Andy opened the door. Patton peered inside before they entered, just on the off chance that someone was waiting for them inside. There appeared to be no one in the room, so they all walked in and dumped their bags on the floor.

“Alright, who’s taking the beds and who’s sleeping on the floor?” Thomas asked.

Pryce scoffed. “You think I would sleep on the floor?”

“Well, I don’t wanna sleep on the floor,” Andy said, glaring at Pryce.

“I’ll take the floor,” Patton offered.

Thomas shook his head. “No, I’ll take it. I don’t really like sleeping with strangers. Not that I do that a lot! And it’s not like we would be—” His face turned red with embarrassment. He picked up his bag and walked further into the room. “You and Remy can have the bed.”

Andy and Pryce both stared at him. “I have to share a bed with _her?”_ they said at the same time, pointing to each other.

Patton dragged his backpack over to the bed closest to the door and tossed it onto the mattress. He had a feeling their brief stay at this hotel was going to feel very, very long.

*******

Remy gave the receptionist his best winning smirk. “I think that’s it for the payment.”

The receptionist, who Remy had learned was named James, nodded and rolled his chair away from his computer, having finished registering Remy and the others in the room they had taken. “I suppose so,” he said, an equally flirtatious grin on his lips. He glanced down at his watch. “Although, it is almost time for my lunch break. I can get someone else behind the desk and maybe you and I can maybe go get something to drink at the hotel bar.”

Remy and the receptionist had been talking for over an hour, maybe even longer. It hadn’t actually taken that long to get the payment method sorted out, but he figured the more he flirted, the more willing this guy would be to cover up any suspicious or illegal actions he saw Remy and the rest of his little group participating in. If not that, he could maybe at least convince him to get them a free room for a night.

“That sounds good to me,” Remy said.

James stood. “I’ll text one of my coworkers. Give me a moment.”

Remy waited patiently as James fired off a text to ask someone else to take over as receptionist. He stood up and walked around to the front of the desk, where Remy was waiting. “Follow me,” he said.

Remy trailed after him. The thought crossed his mind that he should probably be getting back to Patton and the others, but he was sure they’d be fine on their own.

James led him across the lobby to a door. He pushed it open and they entered a well lit lounge room. A cluster of couches sat at the far corner of the room with a coffee table in the middle of them. A bar stood off to the left wall with a line of stools around it. A few other people were scattered around the room, but Remy figured the bar wouldn’t be more active until much later at night.

James led him over to the bar. “We get an employee discount on drinks,” he said with a coy smile. “Anything you want, I’ll cover it.”

“Well, aren’t you considerate,” Remy said. He sat down at the bar and James lowered himself into the seat next to him.

James shrugged. “It’s part of my charm.” He looked up at the bartender and held up two fingers. The bartender turned and started mixing drinks.

Remy studied James’s face as the bartender worked. He really was cute, just not Remy’s type. But hey, there was nothing wrong with a little harmless flirting. Besides, it couldn’t hurt to stay on good terms with this guy. He definitely needed more connections in different cities. He never knew who could be useful in his line of work.

James rested his elbow on the bar and his chin on his hand, gaze fixed on Remy’s face. “So, what are you and friends doing here?”

“Just looking for a place to spend the night,” he answered. “We’re going on a road trip.”

“Sounds fun. Are you headed anywhere specific?”

“Not really. Just wandering. We want to see the country.”

“I’d love to go on a road trip,” James sighed wistfully. “But I’ve never left Sidehill much. I mean, I’ve left a couple times to go over to Clawmore, but other than that, I don’t get around much.” He cocked his head. “Where are you guys from?”

“Clawmore, actually,” Remy said. “I have a friend who lives here, so we figured we’d stop here first and see where the road takes us.”

James smirked. “Well, they sure are lucky if they get to spend hours being stuck in a vehicle with you.”

Remy’s eyebrows shot up. This guy was kind of smooth.

The bartender placed a couple glasses in front of them. “Enjoy,” he said, before turning away and grabbing a cloth to wipe down the counter.

James stirred his drink with his finger. “So, just out of curiosity, what do you do for work?”

Remy had lifted his drink to his lips, but he paused. He couldn’t exactly tell this man that he ran illegal odd jobs for a variety of small gangs in the underground crime world. He needed to think of something to say, quick.

“Motorcycle mechanic,” he blurted. “I’m a freelancer.”

“A freelancer, huh? So you don’t have to take all the jobs you get? You can just take breaks whenever?”

“Yeah, pretty much.” Remy sipped at his drink. The bartender must have put whiskey in it. It burned his throat a little.

“Sounds fun,” James said. “I’ve always wanted to be a freelance worker. Being stuck as a hotel receptionist just isn’t doing it for me.”

“I understand. It must be hard being stuck behind a desk all day.”

“Yeah, but it brings in money, so...” He shrugged. “Who am I to complain?”

Remy nodded, taking another gulp from his glass. “Fair enough.” He set his drink down. “Why don’t you tell me a little bit about yourself? Y’know, you got any family? A partner?”

James grinned. “If you’re asking me whether I’m single, the answer is yes. But hopefully I can find someone that will change that answer. What about you?”

Remy shrugged as he drank a little more. He was single too, but he did hop from person to person a lot. He just didn’t have time for a relationship. Most of his time was spent either working or hanging out with Patton.

“Yeah, I’m single,” he said. “I just haven’t found the time for a relationship yet. I’ve been too busy.”

“I understand. It can be hard to juggle relationships with the rest of your life.” James tapped his fingers on the side of his glass. “If I ever got a boyfriend, I don’t know how I would be able to spend any time with him. My career is my entire life.”

Remy took another sip of his drink. He went to set it down, but he fumbled with the mostly empty glass and almost dropped it. The room seemed to spin around him. He shook his head vigorously to recentre his senses. What the hell just happened?

“Are you okay?” James asked.

It took a moment for Remy to process his words. “Yeah, m’fine,” he muttered. He felt a lot more drunk than he should have. He only had one drink, and there was hardly any alcohol in it. In fairness, it had been a while since he last drank alcohol, so maybe it was just hitting him a little hard.

He tried to sit up straight, but his world turned upside down and he almost toppled out of his chair. Jesus, what was in that drink?

He felt James’s hands on his shoulders, trying to hold him upright. “You okay bud?” the bartender’s voice asked.

“Remy, are you alright?” James asked.

Remy wanted to answer, but a wave of nausea washed over him and he gripped the edge of the bar to keep himself from falling over. He squeezed his eyes shut as his stomach turned.

“I think it worked,” James’s voice said. It carried none of the flirtatious tone it had before. “Let’s get him to a room and send a call to his friends.”

“Got it,” the bartender’s voice said.

Remy felt James’s arms wrap around him and ease him onto his feet. “We’ll get you to a room so you can lay down,” he said softly. “Your friends will come get you. Don’t worry about a thing.”

Remy wobbled on his feet as he stumbled along, barely able to walk. James guided him to the door, and one thing crossed his mind before all coherent thoughts completely abandoned him.

The bartender fucking drugged him.

Well, shit.

*******

Pryce groaned as she flipped through the TV channels. “There is literally nothing to watch. Do they not have Netflix?”

“Most hotels don’t, Princey,” Andy said. She’d brought out her laptop and was slouched in her seat on the bed that she was unwillingly sharing with Pryce.

“That’s stupid,” Pryce grumbled. She settled on a cooking show and tossed the remote to the side.

Thomas flipped through a hotel brochure and leaned against Patton’s bed. He’d sat himself on the floor, despite Patton’s insistence that he could sit on the bed if he wanted to. “Do you guys wanna get room service? I’m kinda hungry.”

“Order some pizza,” Andy suggested.

“Yeah, pizza sounds good right about now,” Pryce said.

Andy stared wide-eyed at her. “You’re agreeing with me? I would have thought you’d hate pizza.”

Pryce scoffed. “Oh, honey, come on. You’d have to be crazy to hate pizza.”

Thomas glanced up at Patton. “You up for pizza?”

Patton just shrugged. He hadn’t really spoken much since they got into the room. He was too busy thinking about the car chase they had been a part of earlier. He fiddled with the gun Remy had given him, sliding the magazine in and out of the chamber. He wished Remy would stop flirting with that receptionist and come to the room already. Patton didn’t feel at ease when Remy was out of sight. The guy could get attacked and Patton would never know.

The phone on the nightstand rang. Patton jumped at the sound, but he set the gun aside and reached for the phone. He picked it up and held it to his ear. “Hello?”

“Is this the room under the name Remy Dormir?” asked a voice.

Patton hesitated. This felt like a trap. “Yes,” he said finally.

“Who am I speaking to?”

Patton bit his lip. This was definitely a trap.

“What do you want?” he said instead. He wasn’t telling his name to anyone. Not when there was a bounty on his head.

“We want Patton Hart.”

Patton’s blood ran cold. “Where’s Remy?” he demanded. The other three looked up at him, concerned by the tone of his voice.

“He’s unharmed,” the voice said. “But he won’t be that way for long if you don’t give us Patton.”

“Where are you?”

“Second floor, room 245. If you call the police or take any longer than ten minutes to get here, your friend starts losing some of his fingers.”

“I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

Patton hung up and shot to his feet. He wasn’t going to let anything happen to Remy, no matter what. If that meant giving himself up to Wrath, then so be it.

“What’s going on?” Andy asked.

“Someone has Remy.” Patton grabbed the gun and slammed the magazine in. “I’m going to get him back.”

Thomas scrambled to his feet. “Well, I’m coming with you.”

Andy shut her laptop. “So am I.”

“No, you’re not,” Patton said. He let the slide of the gun shoot forward, loading a round into the chamber. “I don’t know how many people are involved. It’s safest for me to give myself up.”

Pryce stood. “You’re giving yourself up to save him? Why didn’t I think of kidnapping anyone to get you?”

“Not the time, Princey,” Andy said.

“Well, I’m gonna come with you,” Pryce said, loading her own gun. “If anyone’s getting your bounty money, it’s gonna be me. I’m not letting someone else get you.”

“No, you and Andy are staying here,” Thomas insisted. “We don’t want things to get too out of hand. Andy, connect to my phone and I’ll keep you on the line while we’re there. Make sure Pryce doesn’t do anything dumb.”

Andy’s shoulders slumped. “Fine. Probably better I stay here, anyway. I can’t fight worth shit.”

Thomas grabbed his bag off the floor and dug around in its contents. He took out a gun of his own and shoved it in his pocket. “Let’s go get Remy back.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Thomas, Andy, Pryce, Remy, and Patton go to a run down hotel to stay at for the night in hopes that no one will come after them. As the other four get settled in their room, Remy strikes up a conversation with the receptionist, James, who invites him to have a drink with him in the hotel lounge. During their conversation, Remy starts to feel off, and he realizes that the bartender drugged him. Back in the hotel room, Patton picks up the phone to hear someone threatening to hurt Remy if he doesn't give himself up. He and Thomas decide to go save Remy from his kidnappers while Andy connects her laptop to Thomas's phone so she can intervene if anything goes wrong.


	22. My Hot Friend Was Kidnapped

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Patton needs to rescue Remy from his captors at any cost. Andy overhears some things Patton says about himself and decides to look into it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warnings: there are guns in this chapter, pretty much for the whole thing, and multiple mentions of kidnapping and non-consensual drug use, and the aftereffects of these drugs are shown through nausea and a brief mention of vomiting. (yeah i'm putting Remy through the wringer with this chapter, sorry Rem but it's your turn to suffer.) there is also a knife, a gunshot that doesn't hit anyone, and a non-fatal stabbing. (none of which happens to Remy though, don't worry!) there will be a brief summary in the end notes for anyone who wants to skip the chapter but still wants to know what's going on!

Patton kept his gun loaded as he hurried to the elevator. His trigger finger twitched every so often, but never enough to actually misfire. 

Neither Patton nor Thomas spoke as Patton hit the button for the elevator. His mind raced with thoughts, each one worse than the last. What if the people who had Remy already hurt him? What if they were in the process of killing him right now? They could be threatening him, beating him up, doing horrible, unspeakable things to him—

Patton’s thoughts were interrupted when the doors opened. He stepped into the elevator, Thomas right behind him. He didn’t know why Thomas insisted on coming with him, but Patton was glad for the company. A plan had already begun forming in Patton’s mind, and he’d need Thomas to get Remy out of the room before he went through with it. He needed Remy to be safe first.

He pressed the button for the second floor and waited as the elevator rose. He tapped his foot impatiently.

The elevator stopped and the doors opened. Patton stepped out and immediately started down a hallway, scanning the door numbers for the one Remy was in.

“Which room did you say they were in, again?” Thomas asked. He held his own gun in his hands, and Patton was glad for the extra backup.

“245,” Patton answered.

Patton spotted the door he was looking for. His heart raced as his instincts kicked in, readying him for a fight the second someone opened that door. His left index finger twitched.

Patton took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

There was the sound of someone shuffling behind the door and talking to someone else. “Who is it?” a voice asked.

“Patton Hart,” Patton answered flatly. God, if they did anything at all to Remy, Patton was going to freaking lose it. 

“Are you alone?”

Patton hesitated. “No. He wouldn’t let me come here without him.”

He heard more hushed conversation from within the room. Footsteps walked towards the door, and it opened a crack. A man peered out at them. 

“Both of you, in here,” he said. 

He opened the door the rest of the way. Thomas shot Patton a worried glance, but they filed into the room. 

Inside was a normal hotel room with two beds and a bathroom off to the left. The man who’d let them in raised a gun and pointed it at Patton’s head before Patton even knew what was happening. “Hand over your weapons.”

Thomas hesitated, but Patton held his gun out to the man, who took it in his free hand. Thomas handed over his own weapon with a defeated sigh. 

“Where’s Remy?” Patton asked. 

The man nodded towards the beds and stepped aside. Patton and Thomas brushed past him and walked further into the room. The receptionist from earlier sat in the spinny chair at the desk, idly scrolling through his phone. Patton’s heart pounded faster when he saw Remy’s body tossed haphazardly onto one of the beds. His hands were bound together in front of him and a cloth was tied over his mouth. His sunglasses were hooked on the collar of his shirt, revealing half-closed eyes that were glazed over and blank. They brightened a little when his gaze slid over Patton. He made a frustrated whining sound in his throat and struggled against his bonds. 

Patton had to try really hard to resist the urge to punch the receptionist in the face. “What did you do to him?”

“He’s fine,” the receptionist said, waving a hand dismissively. The name tag on his shirt read James. “Just a little drugged.”

“With what?”

James looked over to the other man. “What did you put in his drink?”

The man shrugged. The name tag on his uniform said Darren. “Just a little GHB. He’ll be fine in a few hours.”

Patton mentally cursed. Of course Remy hadn’t known he was being drugged. If these people had accidentally doomed Remy by overdosing him, Patton would throttle them himself with his bare hands. 

“Well, I’m here now,” Patton said. “Let him go.”

James narrowed his eyes and set his phone down. “How do I know you’re not planning something?”

“They gave me their weapons,” Darren said. “They haven’t done shit yet. I’m pretty sure they’re fine.”

James glared at him. “Fine.” He stood and walked to Remy. He pointed at Thomas and snapped his fingers. “You get this bitch out of here. We’re taking Hart.”

Thomas looked from Patton to James to Darren. “You’re kidding, right? Patton, I thought we were going to fight them. I thought that was the plan.”

“The plan was to get Remy to safety,” Patton pointed out. “I even said I was going to give myself up. You didn’t listen.”

“I thought you were kidding!”

Darren spread his hands. “Look, if you don’t want him, I can always just shoot him.”

“Thomas,” Patton said. “Get Remy out of here.”

Thomas frantically glanced from Patton to Remy. Patton gave him his best “stern dad look”, the one that said “you’d better do this or you’re grounded”. Patton rarely ever used that face, but it felt necessary to use it now.

Thomas deflated when he realized Patton wasn’t going to be leaving the room with him and Remy. He tore his gaze away from Patton and walked to the bed where Remy was lying. Remy grunted unhappily as Thomas helped him into an upright position. Remy squirmed and tried to wriggle out of Thomas’s grasp, but Thomas managed to lift Remy into his arms. Remy mumbled something through the gag over his mouth. His gaze was fixed on Patton, and he reached out with his tied hands as if he could grab Patton from across the room.

Darren trailed the two with his gun as Thomas carried Remy to the door. Remy whined in distress and weakly kicked his feet, trying to reach over Thomas’s shoulder to grab at Patton, but Thomas didn’t let go. He shot Patton a disappointed look and left the room, kicking the door shut behind him.

Darren moved the gun from Thomas as soon as he and Remy were out of sight. “Now to deal with you.”

Patton tried to calm his beating heart as Darren levelled his gun at Patton’s head. James crossed his arms and leaned against the desk. “Should we knock you out, or are you going to come along quietly?”

“I’ll go with you,” Patton said. His mind raced, taking in all the threats in the room. Something shiny poked out of James’s pocket, a knife maybe. Darren had his own gun along with Patton’s and Thomas’s. James was poised on the balls of his feet despite his relaxed stance, ready to strike if Patton so much as moved an inch.

He sensed Darren shifting his weight behind Patton. “Alright, we’re going to take you outside.”

Patton felt the cold muzzle of the gun press against the back of his head. He grimaced at the feeling. He wasn’t going to let these people take him anywhere. Now seemed like a good time.

He jabbed his elbow backwards, hitting Darren square in the nose. Darren cried out and stumbled back. Rapid footsteps ran for Patton as James lunged for him. He whirled around and grabbed the wrist of the hand that held James’s knife. He kneed James in the stomach and he doubled over, disoriented. Patton snatched up the knife and shoved him to the ground.

He heard the click of a gun cocking and spun around, jabbing out with the knife. It stuck in Darren’s stomach. He dropped his gun, mouth open in an “O” of surprise. Patton grabbed one of the guns Darren dropped and found its grip familiar. It was Remy’s. Patton flicked the safety off. He fired off the round already cocked in the chamber as a warning shot before sliding another round into the gun.

James stared wide eyed at the bullet hole in the wall next to his head. He slowly looked back to Patton.

“I don’t miss twice,” Patton warned. “Stay where you are.”

James shot a wary glance at his knife, which was still clutched in Patton’s right hand with a veil of blood on the blade. He turned his gaze to the bleeding wound in Darren’s torso.

“He’ll be fine, it wasn’t fatal,” Patton said. “If I wanted to kill him, he’d be dead.”

“What the fuck was that?” James breathed. “I... I thought you—”

“You thought wrong.” Patton’s trigger finger twitched. “I don’t want you coming after us again. Got it?”

James narrowed his eyes suspiciously. “How are you going to keep us away?”

Patton answered his question with another question. “How long have you been in this business?”

James seemed confused. “About twelve years. Why?”

“Recognize the name Poison Dart?”

James furrowed his brow. “Yeah, why?” His eyes widened. “Wait a damn minute.” He scoffed. “Are you seriously implying that you’re him? Are you kidding? Wrath went after him. He’s dead.”

“A body was never found. You think Poison Dart wouldn’t be able to run from Wrath? Why do you think I’m so high up on their shit list now? Besides, do you really want to take that chance?”

James swallowed. His gaze flickered to the bullet hole in the wall. He lightly shook his head.

Patton lowered the gun and turned to the door. He stepped over Darren’s bleeding form and tossed the knife to the floor. He leaned down and scooped up Thomas’s gun.

He was about to leave the room, but he paused at the door. “James?”

“Yeah?” His voice shook.

“You’re letting us stay here for the night free of charge. And if anyone asks about the gunshot, tell them someone broke in or something. I don’t care, just make it believable. And don’t let this get out to anyone else.”

“Sure thing.”

Patton left the room and shut the door. Thomas stood outside in the hallway, Remy in his arms, staring at Patton with wide eyes and a mouth hanging open in shock.

“Poison Dart, huh?” he whispered. “You’re not kidding, are you?”

Patton shoved his gun in his pocket. He didn’t feel good about what just happened, but at least he’d gotten everyone out of there safely.

“I’m not kidding,” he sighed.

“Wrath’s Blade told everyone you died.”

“Well, excuse my strong language, but Wrath can frick right off.”

“That’s not strong language.”

Remy interrupted the conversation with another upset whine. He made grabby hands at Patton, kicking his legs.

Patton reached out to undo Remy’s bonds, but Remy captured Patton’s hand in both of his. “No, I’m not holding your hand, Rem. I’m trying to untie you.”

Patton managed to get the thin cord untied so Remy could freely move his arms. Remy latched onto Patton’s sleeve with one hand while Patton lifted the gag off Remy’s face with the arm that wasn’t trapped in Remy’s grasp.

Remy mumbled something incoherent as soon as the cloth was off his face. Patton leaned in to hear him better. “What was that?”

“Don’ feel good,” Remy muttered.

“Yeah, GHB will do that to you.” Patton held out his arms, inviting Thomas to deposit Remy onto him. “You’ll feel better in a few hours.”

Thomas carefully shifted Remy’s weight and set him in Patton’s arms. Remy clung to Patton’s cat hoodie with both hands. He groaned as if he had a pounding headache. Thomas plucked his gun from Patton’s hand as Remy settled in Patton’s arms.

Thomas looked Patton dead in the eye. “You’re Poison Dart.”

Patton wasn’t proud of it, but he nodded.

Thomas furrowed his brow. “You’re not gonna kill any of us while we’re sleeping, will you?”

“Heaven’s no!” Patton blurted, horrified by the suggestion. “You and Andy have been so nice! You—you took us in, and you got us food, and you’re on the run with us. Of course I wouldn’t hurt you, kiddo. You can count on that.”

A tiny smile of relief spread across Thomas’s face. “Alright. Well, we should probably get him back to the room.”

“Yeah.” Patton hefted Remy in his arms. Remy groaned at the movement and buried his face in Patton’s shoulder. Everyone was more or less silent as they made their way back to the bottom floor.

*******

Andy had no idea what to think.

As soon as she heard something about “Poison Dart” through the speaker of Thomas’s phone, she was confused. She didn’t know what that meant. If it was related to some old gang or organization from ten years ago, Andy would have no clue what it was. She was only twenty-three. She’d been in this business for maybe four years.

And Pryce was no help either. Andy had asked her, but all she’d gotten in response was “I’m hardly older than you, Hot Topic. You think I know anything about this?”

Now all of them were in their hotel room, and Andy and Pryce couldn’t discuss the issue further without looking suspicious. Thomas seemed to have forgotten that Andy was still connected to his phone. Andy wanted nothing more than to sit Thomas down and question him about it, but they had more issues on their plate right now.

As soon as Patton and Thomas returned to the room, Remy squirmed out of Patton’s arms, almost falling right on his face in the process. He mumbled something about feeling nauseous and stumbled off to the bathroom, a concerned Patton in tow. Andy set her laptop aside and hurried after them to help with Remy. She didn’t want Patton to do all the work.

Minutes later, Remy was dry heaving into the toilet, having already emptied his guts of everything he’d eaten earlier. They’d managed to get Remy’s leather jacket off. His white shirt was spotted with sweat, and Andy left the bathroom to find a new one while Patton stayed with Remy in the bathroom.

Pryce and Thomas looked up from the TV screen as Andy began to dig through Remy’s stuff. “Is he okay?”

“Yeah. Still heaving, though.” Andy tossed Remy’s motorcycle keys aside. “What was he drugged with?”

“GHB,” Thomas answered. He rolled up his sleeve and scratched at the snake tattoo on his forearm. “He’ll be fine in a few hours, I think.” He stood up from his seat on the bed. “I’m gonna go out and get us some pizza. Don’t die or anything while I’m gone.” He grabbed his car keys off the nightstand and walked to the door.

Andy huffed in frustration and straightened from where she was crouched over Remy’s bags. “Did this bitch not even bring any extra clothes?”

“Beats me,” Pryce mumbled. She was flicking through the TV channels, searching for something to watch.

Andy heaved a sigh and turned to Patton’s backpack. Surely the guy wouldn’t mind if his friend borrowed one of his shirts for a while. As an afterthought, she grabbed a water bottle from the bag. Remy would need something to drink to get the taste of vomit out of his mouth.

Andy entered the bathroom again, one of Patton Hart’s shirts draped over her arm. “He didn’t have any shirts so I grabbed one of yours. Is that okay?”

“That’s just fine, kiddo,” Patton said. He gently rubbed Remy’s back as Remy retched into the toilet. “Gosh, he doesn’t look good.”

“Yeah, no shit.” Andy set the water bottle next to the toilet so Remy could grab it when he wanted. “I’m gonna go scan the area,” she said, handing the shirt off to Patton.

“Okay. I’ll stay here.”

Andy waved goodbye with a two-fingered salute and left the bathroom. She was planning on scanning the area at some point, sure, but more than that, she wanted to know what this “Poison Dart” thing was about.

She sat on the bed next to Pryce and grabbed her laptop. As soon as she unlocked it, she disconnected from Thomas’s phone, hoping Thomas wouldn’t remember that she’d been connected at all in the first place. She trusted Thomas, sure, but this just felt like something she shouldn’t talk to him about. She got the feeling he wouldn’t even talk about it if she asked.

She opened up her browser and went to the hacker forum page she frequented. It was a good place to get information from multiple sources, and if she had questions, someone would probably answer them.

Andy scrolled to the forum search bar and typed in “poison dart”. There weren’t many results. This forum page was only about seven years old to her knowledge, and if this Poison Dart thing was older, it was no wonder there were hardly any results.

She found a post from five years ago titled “anyone remember poison dart?” She clicked on it and skimmed the post.

_i’ve only been in this scene for about a year and i’m really confused??? who’s this poison dart guy i keep hearing about?? i’m with wrath’s blade btw and i keep hearing older people talking about them but no one will tell me who they are :/_

Andy scrolled down to the replies. Oddly enough, there was a copious amount of people who had replied to the post.

_Don’t worry about him, he’s dead. Fucking good thing too, the guy killed my sister and half the Vine Thirty-Niners back in ‘08. That gang’s fallen off the earth now because of him._

_oh dude he slaughtered a shit ton of chimera agents in 2010 way out in clawmore. Picani still talks about it sometimes, i think he was there_

_the guy was a PHENOMENAL assassin. I always wanted to be like him. y’know, until he set the Glassed Hearts’ home base on fire and stalked me and my work partner through the Critic House just to kill her. once that fucker has his eye on someone that bitch is NOT getting out alive. lowkey wish I coulda gotten some pointers from him though._

_bruh I’m a newbie at Wrath too, stationed out in San Fran. apparently this guy was mostly seen around Florida but there’s a handful of older agents out here who talk about him too. last time anyone saw him here was 2006. guy stabbed a Chimera agent out in broad daylight and disappeared without a damn trace_

_Why is no one else talking about what he did to the Storytime gang back in 2004? That shit got him on the map as a respected assassin. It’s nowhere near as bad as the Chimera massacre from 2010, but it was impressive for a guy who’d only been in the business for a few years. He was only in his early twenties back then, I think._

Andy looked away from her screen and leaned back in her seat, processing this information. Were these people seriously talking about Patton Hart? The sweet little puffball who was comforting his sick friend in the bathroom? The loving father who had left his kids behind for their own safety? Could this possibly be the same person?

Andy felt someone lean over her shoulder. “Holy shit,” said a voice.

Andy nearly jumped out of her skin. “Jesus fuck, Princey, warn a dude next time.”

Pryce ignored Andy’s startled outburst and peered at the screen. “I’ve heard about a few of those incidents,” she said. “I wasn’t there for any of them, but that thing with the Glassed Hearts gang is like an old horror story. I’ve seen what their old base is like now. No one bothered to fix it up. I think all the remaining members picked up and moved to Clawmore.”

“Their old base is in this city?” Andy asked.

“Yep.” Pryce’s eyes widened. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

“If you’re thinking we should sneak away later and investigate the Glassed Hearts’ old base to see if we can find any information on Patton and this Poison Dart thing, then yes, yes I am.” Andy furrowed her brow. “But I don’t think I trust you enough to take you out anywhere.”

“Girl, I’m here to take in Deadshot over there, not you. You don’t have a bounty on your head. Besides, I don’t want to take him in until I figure out what all this is.” She gestured to Andy’s computer screen. “This is the most interesting thing I’ve heard about in years.”

Andy hesitated. She couldn’t trust Pryce, but she desperately wanted to know more about Poison Dart and Patton.

“Maybe we can go tomorrow,” Andy suggested. She closed the browser and shut her laptop.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Patton and Thomas go to save Remy. Patton convinces Thomas to get Remy out of the room, pretending to give himself up so Remy's captors would let Thomas get Remy out of the room. After Thomas and Remy are safe, Patton struggles with Remy's captors. He incapacitates one of them and threatens the other, James, with a gunshot to the wall. To make sure they don't go after him later on, he tells James that he used to be an assassin named Poison Dart. James, afraid by this information, agrees to leave Patton alone. Back at the hotel room, Remy stumbles off to the bathroom with Patton in tow, while Thomas leaves to get supper for everyone. Andy decides to visit her hacker forums to look into this Poison Dart thing that Patton mentioned. She finds that Poison Dart used to be a feared, destructive assassin who presumably died ten years ago. Pryce recognizes the name of one of the gangs Poison Dart attacked, the Glassed Hearts, and suggests that she and Andy sneak away tomorrow to go investigate the Glassed Hearts' former headquarters to learn more about Patton's past.


	23. Today Was Not As Shitty As Yesterday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Virgil thinks Janus might not be as bad as he originally thought, but he and his brothers are still struggling with this big change in their lives. Patton is concerned about Remy, but his worries soon turn to his kids.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i don't think there are any warnings for this chapter, but if there's anything i didn't notice or just forgot, let me know and i'll add a warning!

Supper had gone a lot better than Virgil thought it would. He kept expecting Mr. Chimera to say it was weird that they were having pancakes for supper, but he hardly said a word the entire meal. He had thanked Virgil when he was done and left the room to take his dishes to the kitchen. Virgil’s anxiety kept insisting that Virgil had done something to make Mr. Chimera mad, but he just took a deep breath and tried to remind himself that everything had gone well earlier. There was no reason for Mr. Chimera to be upset with him.

The twins finished their food and immediately ran off to the living room to play. Mr. Minder hurried after them to keep them from destroying anything, which was a good decision. The two of them were a destructive force when left unsupervised.

D.W. started gathering the plates off the table, and Virgil stood up to help. She looked a bit surprised by this, but she didn’t say anything about it. She just gave him a grateful smile.

“I’ll go help Jan with the dishes,” she said. She held out a hand to take the plates from Virgil.

Virgil hesitated. “I can help if you want.”

D.W. raised an eyebrow. “Do you want to help?”

“Do you want my help?”

D.W. smiled. “You are just as indecisive as Janus.” She held out her plates and Virgil piled them on top of the ones in his arms. “Go help Jan. I need to go clean the pool anyway.”

Virgil turned and walked across the hall to the kitchen, balancing the plates in his arms. His stomach turned with anxiety at the thought of being stuck in the kitchen alone with this person he hardly knew again, but he pushed that bad feeling down. He was fine. Mr. Chimera wasn’t going to hurt him or anything. Nothing had gone wrong when they were cooking together earlier.

Virgil nudged the kitchen door open and was taken by surprise when the sound of music met his ears. The tunes of a chill jazzy song with a nice piano and string instrumental swam through the air. It wasn’t his taste, but he didn’t dislike it. A phone with a bright yellow case sat on the island, the source of the music. Mr. Chimera stood at the far wall over the sink. The faucet was on, filling the sink with water. Janus sorted the dishes along the counter and sang quietly along with the song playing from his phone as he waited for the sink to fill up.

Virgil walked up to where the dishes were piled and set the plates on the counter. Janus caught sight of him and paused in his singing. “Oh, thank you, Virgil.”

Virgil stepped back from the counter. “So, do you need help, or...?”

“Do you want to help?”

“If you need help, I can.”

Janus shrugged. “Well, if you want to dry the dishes, go ahead. The towels are in that drawer.” He pointed with one gloved hand to a small drawer in the counter.

Virgil opened it and grabbed a dish towel. He waited as Mr. Chimera peeled off his fabric gloves and grabbed a pair of rubber gloves from where they sat on the island. Virgil hadn’t seen the guy without his gloves at all. It made Virgil curious as to why he wore them all the time.

“Why do you wear gloves?” Virgil blurted. A moment later, it occurred to him that such an abrupt question might be rude, and he found himself regretting saying anything.

Janus didn’t seem bothered by it, however. “I don’t like things touching my hands,” he said, tugging the rubber gloves on. “Especially not water. I hate the feeling of my hands being wet.”

Virgil nodded in understanding. “I don’t like water much either,” he admitted. “I mean, I can get wet, but being submerged isn’t fun.”

A small smile twitched across Janus’s mouth. “Well, I suppose we have a bit more in common than I originally thought.”

Virgil felt a little bit of relief wash over him. Janus didn’t seem to hate him. Virgil still didn’t trust the guy one hundred percent, but he seemed to understand Virgil a little bit.

Janus stuck his hands in the sink and started scrubbing the dishes. The two of them worked in silence, the jazzy music from Janus’s phone the only sound between them. Janus put the clean dishes in the sink next to his and Virgil grabbed them and dried them off. The silence was comfortable, which was a surprise to Virgil. He always felt obligated to talk when he was around others, but Janus seemed perfectly content to stay quiet.

The pile of dishes dwindled as they worked. The only conversation they made was when Virgil was asking Janus where the cleaned dishes were supposed to be put away. However, they were almost finished when Janus decided to finally speak.

“Virgil,” he said, “I have a question.”

Virgil furrowed his brow as he dried off the frying pan they’d used to make pancakes. “Yeah?”

“You aren’t Patton Hart’s biological children.”

“That’s a statement, not a question,” Virgil pointed out.

“Yes, I just wanted to make sure.” Janus set a plate in the sink in front of Virgil. “My question is: how did you and your brothers end up with Patton for a father?”

Virgil wasn’t exactly sure how to answer. He didn’t want to pour out his whole life story, but what could he say?

“Well,” he began, “we were homeless for a while. I was thirteen and the twins were nine, so I tried to take care of them. We were on the streets for maybe four months. It was difficult, but we managed. At one point, we hid under someone’s porch during a storm since we didn’t have any actual shelter, and the owner of the house found us in the morning and woke us up. He let us stay, and...” Virgil shrugged. “We’ve been living with Patton ever since.”

“So he didn’t legally adopt you?” Janus snorted. “Of course. I can’t remember a time he ever did something within the lines of the law.”

Virgil was taken aback by that. “What do you mean?”

Janus was silent as he scrubbed the syrup off a butter knife. “I’m sure you’re aware of the nature of my business at this point, correct?”

“Yeah, but what does that have to do with Dad?”

Janus took a deep breath. “Your father used to be involved in the same sort of things I am. I never worked with him personally. In fact, the man was quite a nuisance to Chimera. The second I would try to do anything, he would swoop in, guns blazing. Patton was a very, very skilled hitman.”

“He was an assassin?” Virgil breathed. “That’s so cool!” The information should have been terrifying, but that sounded so awesome to Virgil! So many books he’d read and movies he’d watched had badass characters who were assassins. He had a small collection of DC comics at home, specifically ones that featured any appearance of Deadshot. He’d watched that Suicide Squad movie for five nights in a row when it first came out just so he could watch the parts with that same character.

Janus nodded. “Well, yes, I suppose it is kind of cool. Until you’re the one on the receiving end of a sniper rifle.”

Virgil’s excitement wilted. “Oh.” He hadn’t thought of that.

“But don’t let my experience with your father discourage your excitement,” Janus added, as if he knew that Virgil’s feelings were turning into disappointment. “Patton Hart was the most skilled hitman I have ever seen. It takes so much talent to do that kind of job. He was level headed, absolutely brilliant, and I can’t even imagine how much physical skill it would have taken to succeed as an assassin. Patton has never missed a shot to my knowledge. Not until I became his target ten years ago.”

Virgil perked up. That sounded interesting. “What happened?”

“It is quite a long story, and unfortunately...” Janus placed the last plate in Virgil’s sink. “We are now done the dishes.” He pulled the plug out of his sink and then took off his gloves. “Perhaps I can tell you some other time.”

Virgil’s spirits sank as Janus picked up his phone and fabric gloves. “How about tomorrow?” Virgil suggested.

Janus paused just before he was about to head for the door. “Hm?”

Virgil steeled his nerves. “We can make supper again tomorrow, and you can tell me about Dad then.”

Janus blinked. Then he smiled. “That sounds good to me.”

*******

Virgil flopped down on his bed later that night, heaving a great sigh. Today had been an especially exhausting day, probably one of the worst days he’d had in a while. He had a panic attack and a shutdown just that morning, and he still found it hard to adjust to the fact that Dad wasn’t here.

However, it still wasn’t as bad as yesterday. At least there were a few decent things that happened today. He found out Dad was still alive, for one. And Mr. Minder was here now. There was someone in the house he could trust.

Virgil kept his eyes narrowed through the bright lights in his room. Tomorrow morning, the first thing Virgil would do is ask Janus for dimmer lights. Preferably purple ones, if they had any.

Virgil grabbed his backpack and dragged it across the bed towards him. He hadn’t really unpacked anything yet. He didn’t want to. Unpacking meant making a commitment to staying here. He opted to leave most of his stuff in the bag. For now, the most he would commit to is washing his clothes here when he needed to. That, and sleeping. This was a temporary home. Nothing more.

However, he dug his Draculaura doll out of his bag with her stand and gently set her on the nightstand. He placed her little plastic brush next to her. She could watch over him while he slept, make sure nothing bad happened in the middle of the night.

He sat up when he heard someone knock quietly on his door. “Who is it?”

The door opened to reveal Roman in his red and green pyjamas. The shirt would have been red to match his pants, but he and Remus had traded shirts when Dad had first bought them for the twins.

“Where’s Remus?” Virgil asked.

“Mr. Minder’s helping him check the locks,” Roman said. His gaze was cast to the floor, and he scuffed his sock feet on the carpet as if he was nervous.

“You okay, Ro?”

Roman looked up and wiped at his eyes. Tears streamed down his face. “I miss Dad,” he managed to splutter through his tears.

Virgil’s heart clenched with sympathy. “Come here, kiddo,” he said, holding his arms out.

Roman choked out a sob at the nickname and rushed forward. He collided with Virgil, almost causing the two to fall over on the bed. Roman clung to Virgil and cried into his sweater as Virgil wrapped his arms around his little brother. Virgil felt a pang of guilt. He hadn’t even considered how badly Roman and Remus might have been taking this whole situation. Of course Roman would miss Dad. Roman was one of the most emotional people Virgil knew.

Roman curled up on Virgil’s bed, sniffling and sobbing. Virgil hugged him close. He hated that this situation had interrupted Roman’s life. He was the only one out of the three of them who had even gotten a chance to have a somewhat normal childhood. Sure, he was on the run with them for four months before Patton found them, but the kid was never berated as a bad child in foster homes just for the way he functioned. He was able to have a better childhood than the other two. Virgil hated that something was interrupting that for him.

Footsteps approached the door. It swung open. Remus poked his head into the room, staring at the two with concern. Virgil let go of Roman with one arm so he could gesture for Remus to join them. He shuffled across the carpet and crawled onto the bed next to Roman. He cuddled up next to his twin.

If not for the bleached streak in Remus’s hair, a stranger would have looked at the two and found them indistinguishable from each other. However, looking at Remus, Virgil saw a weariness in his eyes that could have rivaled that of an old war veteran. The twins weren’t interchangeable. Remus carried too much emotional and mental baggage. Roman didn’t know how to carry any at all.

Virgil and Remus both embraced Roman as he sobbed into Virgil’s sweater. The two of them exchanged a concerned glance. Roman crying wasn’t exactly uncommon, but he didn’t often start sobbing to this capacity. Dad’s absence must have really taken a toll on him. It was taking a toll on all three of them.

Virgil reached around Roman to wrap an arm around Remus’s shoulders. The three of them sat there as Roman cried. His tears were surely soaking through one of the patches on Virgil’s sweater, but he didn’t mind.

Slowly, Roman’s sobbing dissolved into teary hiccups, which eventually fell way to silence. His breathing evened out, and Virgil gently lifted Roman’s head a little to see that his eyes were closed. His cheeks were stained with tear tracks. Virgil covered one hand with his sweater sleeve to wipe them off his face.

Virgil glanced up at Remus. His eyes were half-shut. He stifled a yawn behind the back of his hand. “Can we stay here tonight?” he whispered.

Virgil nodded. Remus left Roman and crawled across the bed to cuddle into Virgil’s other side, being very careful so as not to wake his twin. He nuzzled into Virgil’s hoodie and shut his eyes.

Virgil gently laid back on his bed, his brothers in his arms. Roman grunted at the movement, but he didn’t wake. Virgil managed to grab a blanket and pull it on over the three of them. It had been so long since the three of them had spent some brotherly time together like this, as a family.

The only thing they were missing was Dad.

*******

It took over an hour for Remy to finally move from his spot hunched over the toilet. He sat up with a pained groan and Patton handed him the water bottle Andy had left. Remy chugged it like a dehydrated man stuck in the desert. He hadn’t really thrown up at all over the past half hour, but every time he moved, he said he still felt nauseous, so he and Patton had remained in the bathroom.

Remy lowered the mostly empty water bottle and took a deep breath. Patton held up the shirt Andy had brought them. “You wanna change into something less sweaty?”

Remy nodded slowly. He tugged on his shirt, trying to take it off. He managed well enough, though Patton had to help him get it over his head. Patton assisted him into the new shirt. It was a long sleeved black shirt that Patton had forgotten he’d shoved in his backpack. A graphic print of a cartoon cat was plastered on the front of it. The sleeves half covered Remy’s hands, and the collar was a little loose on his shoulders. Seeing Remy in one of Patton’s shirts made him realize that Remy was actually quite a bit smaller than Patton. It was easy to forget about that when Remy’s presence was always so loud and large.

Remy put his hands on the ground and tried to push himself to his feet. Patton lunged forward and caught him just as Remy almost toppled over. “M’fine,” Remy slurred, but he gripped Patton’s shoulders to keep himself upright anyway.

Patton wrapped an arm around Remy’s waist and shuffled out of the bathroom with him. Thomas was already curled up in a bundle of blankets on the floor, eyes closed. Andy was focused on her laptop screen, and Pryce was staring at the TV. At least she had the decency to turn off the audio and replace it with subtitles so she wouldn’t wake Thomas. They must have shoved the leftover pizza into the mini fridge. Andy had brought Patton a piece while he was helping Remy, so he wasn’t hungry, but he was sure Remy would be in the morning.

Patton guided Remy over to sit down on the bed that wasn’t occupied by anyone. “You need help with anything else?”

Remy shook his head and waved Patton away. “I got it.” He unbuttoned his jeans and started trying to wriggle his way out of them.

As Remy struggled with his pants, Patton grabbed his pyjamas and went into the bathroom to change. He was a bit worried about Remy. Drugs were dangerous. It was totally possible that he had been given too much.

Patton left the bathroom to see Remy sprawled face-down on the bed in just his boxers and Patton’s shirt. His jeans were tossed on top of his leather jacket, and he’d managed to take off his Doc Martens as well. They were thrown haphazardly onto the floor next to Patton’s bag.

Patton stepped over his bag. “Get under the covers, Rem,” he said, taking off his glasses and setting them on the nightstand. “We’re going to sleep.”

Remy grumbled something under his breath, but he managed to roll over and tug the covers back. He crawled under the blankets and curled up in a ball. Seeing Remy like this without his usual sass and sarcasm made him seem so much... smaller. It was odd to see him so quiet. Patton couldn’t even imagine how Remy was feeling.

Patton lied down in bed and pulled the covers over him. “Let me know if you need anything, Rem.”

Remy rolled over so he was pressed into Patton’s side. He rested his head on Patton’s chest. “M’sorry,” he mumbled.

Patton furrowed his brow as he wrapped his arms around Remy. “What for?”

“I’m supposed to protect you,” Remy said. “I just got us into trouble.”

Patton shook his head. “You didn’t do anything wrong,” he reassured him. “Everything’s fine. Let’s go to sleep now, okay? You need some rest.”

Remy nodded slowly. “M’kay.” He shut his eyes.

Patton stared up at the ceiling as Remy drifted off to sleep. There was a click as Pryce turned off the lamp on the nightstand. Blankets rustled as she and Andy crawled into their own bed and turned in for the night.

Long after the two of them started snoring away, Patton was still awake. He wished more than anything that he was back home. Remy wouldn’t have ended up like this if they’d stayed.

But they were stuck here instead. And Patton’s family was stuck back in Clawmore. Granted, he considered Remy part of his family, and he was here. While Patton wished Remy could have stayed behind and stayed safe, he was infinitely relieved that he had Remy with him. He had no idea what he would have done without Remy.

But Patton still missed his kiddos. A heavy feeling of loneliness settled on his chest as he thought of how Virgil, Roman, and Remus were doing. He knew his kiddos missed him terribly, but he was willing to bet that he missed them even more. He’d gotten used to having these kids around him over the past couple years. It felt strange, going to bed without watching a Disney movie with Roman and Remus and struggling to get them to calm down enough to go to sleep, or listening to Virgil rant about his latest special interest before carrying him downstairs to bed when he inevitably got tired and nearly fell asleep on the couch.

A lump formed in Patton’s throat. Tears sprang to his eyes and he quickly wiped them away. He wasn’t going to cry. He didn’t want to risk waking up anyone else.

He took a shaky breath and shut his eyes. Things would be better tomorrow.


	24. I Accidentally Adopt A Depressed Lesbian

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The hostage situation doesn't go as Janus thought it would. He's worried that Virgil feels guilty about causing the issue, but he doesn't know how to reassure Virgil that everything is fine. Remy lets Andy and Pryce borrow his motorcycle. He doesn't know what they're doing with it, and he's too tired to care.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *yeets the genderbent dad character into the story* can i interest you in a depressed lesbian?

Normally, Janus was not a morning person, but Logan’s presence certainly made it better.

A hand shook Janus’s shoulder. “Wake up, Sunshine.”

Janus opened one eye. Logan stood over the bed, one hand on Janus’s shoulder and a smile on his face. Janus took Logan’s hand and pressed a kiss to his knuckles.

“Why don’t you ever sleep in with me?” Janus mumbled. “I like morning cuddles.”

“I just needed some down time before things got chaotic.” He straightened. “I’m going to come to work with you to help you deal with the hostage situation.”

Janus was suddenly wide awake. He’d forgotten about that.

He sat up in bed, still holding Logan’s hand. “Right. I suppose I should get dressed then.”

“Of course. You wouldn’t want to go to work in your pyjamas.”

Janus stood and walked to the closet to grab one of his suits as Logan made the bed. Janus often didn’t bother, since he would just be going right back into bed at the end of the day anyway, but Logan insisted they try to keep their room as neat as possible. When Logan wasn’t around, it was a mess.

Janus grabbed one of his clip-on ties off the dresser. He hated to admit that he didn’t actually know how to tie a tie. Bowties were easy, but neckties were something else.

“Here.” Logan grabbed his shoulder and turned him around to face Logan. Logan plucked the clip-on from Janus’s hand and set it back on the dresser. He wrapped an actual necktie around Janus’s neck, a black one, thank God. Any of Logan’s usual blue striped ties would have clashed with Janus’s yellow dress shirt.

Logan finished tying the knot of the tie. A grin blossomed on his face. He wrapped the tie around his hand and tugged Janus down to plant a kiss on his lips.

Janus smiled. “You’ve been romantic lately,” he muttered against Logan’s lips.

“I’m blaming it on the gunshot wound.” Logan pecked Janus on the cheek and let go of his tie. “Do you often bring stim toys to work?”

“No, why?”

“Bring one today. Things may get stressful, and you don’t want to have another shutdown.” Logan walked to the nightstand on his side of the bed and grabbed something off its surface. He tossed it to Janus.

Janus fumbled with it and almost dropped it. “You know I’m not good at catching things.” He looked down at what Logan had thrown him. It was a necklace, the pendant made up of three interlocking rings.

“When did you get this?” Janus asked, a little surprised.

“I ordered it online a while ago. I meant to give it to you earlier, but then I got shot and forgot about it.”

Janus blinked. “Thank you,” he said finally. “You really didn’t have to.”

“But I wanted to.” Logan kissed Janus on the cheek one last time before turning to the door. “I’ll head downstairs and start on breakfast. Can you wake up the kids?”

Janus reached back to latch the necklace behind his neck. “Sure.”

Logan left the bedroom. As soon as Janus managed to get the necklace on, he took a moment to admire it. It was likely just something that Logan had come across online and decided to buy as a spur-of-the-moment thing, but Janus appreciated it nonetheless. He rolled the three interlocking rings between his fingers. Logan didn’t need to get him anything, but he did anyway.

He grabbed his gloves off the dresser and slipped them on. He made his way to the door. He didn’t know if any of the kids would already be awake, but he was willing to bet they weren’t. Not at eight in the morning.

He walked down the hall towards the living room. He approached Virgil’s door first. The twins might be a bit hyperactive, and Janus wasn’t sure if he could deal with that right this minute.

He grabbed the doorknob and slowly pushed the door open. He poked his head into the room, and his heart nearly melted.

Virgil and his two brothers were curled up on the bed in a tangle of blankets. All three were asleep. Remus was sprawled across most of the bed, lightly snoring. Virgil held Roman in his arms, and the two of them were wrapped up in most of the blankets. Virgil had Remus’s arm grasped in one hand, as if trying to make sure that he hadn’t disappeared in his sleep.

Janus didn’t want to interrupt such a peaceful scene. However, he needed to wake up the kids so he could take them to work.

He stepped forward and reached out to nudge Virgil’s shoulder. “Virgil,” he said quietly. “Wake up.”

Virgil bolted upright. Janus yelped and skittered back. Virgil stared at Janus, eyes wide as saucers, arms crossed in front of him as if ready to block a punch. Roman and Remus stirred from the movement.

Virgil slowly lowered his arms. “Oh. Mr. Chimera.” He swallowed and looked down. “Sorry.”

“No need to apologize, Virgil,” Janus assured him, although his heart was still pounding from the initial shock. “I was just coming in to wake you up. Are you alright?”

Virgil nodded. “Janus?” he said quietly, rubbing his eyes.

“Yes, Virgil?”

“Do you have any dimmer lightbulbs I could use? This one’s too bright.” He gestured up to the light in the ceiling.

“Yes, I have quite a few. They’re all yellow lights, though. Are you okay with that?”

Virgil just nodded again. He reached over and nudged Roman. “Wake up, kiddos.”

Janus turned and left the room. He didn’t know why Virgil had been so startled, but he couldn’t help but feel like he’d done something wrong. He hadn’t meant to scare Virgil.

Downstairs, things were quiet. Logan was in the kitchen, and D.W. was already dressed and sipping at a cup of coffee in the dining room. She looked up as Janus walked in and her gaze fell on the necklace resting over his tie. “Where’d you get that?”

“Logan gave it to me.” Janus fiddled with the rings and took a seat next to her. “Are you ready to deal with this... situation?”

D.W. sighed. “Yeah. You’re gonna be doing the talking, though. Can you handle that?”

“I hope so.”

Breakfast was quiet as well. Roman and Remus accepted a slice of toast each from Logan. Virgil declined the toast and grabbed a couple of strawberry Pop Tarts instead once he finally came downstairs. He decided to eat in the kitchen, and his brothers stayed with him. Janus made a mental note to buy some more Pop Tarts if Virgil was going to keep eating them.

When it came time to leave, Janus was sure he’d never been more nervous to go to work. Since there weren’t enough seats in one car for all of them, Logan got his car out of the garage and offered to drive the kids. D.W. and Janus got in their own car. They pulled out of the driveway and drove after Logan.

Janus glanced at D.W., who was in the driver’s seat. “Nervous?” he asked.

“Can you tell?”

“Oh, absolutely not, Dorothy. Your shaking hands make you the picture of confidence.”

D.W. snorted. “Yeah.” Her face fell. “I’m just... thinking of the hostage. What her family might be feeling. Like, how would I feel if it had been you who was shot? Or... or Teal. Or Magi.”

Janus nodded in understanding. Truthfully, that thought had crossed his mind as well. He couldn’t help but wonder how he would feel if he was in that situation.

He rolled the rings of his necklace between his fingers as D.W. drove through the streets. He hoped he would be prepared for this.

They parked in the lot behind the bank. Janus’s stomach turned with anxiety as he and D.W. followed Logan and the kids into the building. D.W. gripped his hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. He squeezed back. The elevator ride down to the first floor was stressful. He tried to take some deep breaths to keep himself calm.

Magi and Teal were both waiting for them as soon as they stepped out of the elevator. “Guys?” Magi said. “I hate to bother you, but there’s... another problem.”

Janus resisted the growing urge to scream. “It will have to wait until after we deal with the hostage situation.”

D.W. nudged her way to the front of the group. “I’ll deal with it. Jan, you take Logan and the kids to deal with the hostage stuff.”

Magi breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you. Janus, Miss Short is already waiting in your office for you.” She started down the hallway.

Teal smirked at Logan and playfully swatted his arm before she walked off. Logan tried to swat her back, but she was already too far away. He rolled his eyes and watched as his sister followed after D.W. and Magi.

Logan turned to Janus and put a hand on his shoulder. “Are you okay, Janus?”

Janus nodded. “I’m fine. Let’s go.”

They walked down the hall side by side, the three Hart children right behind them. Janus wasn’t sure if he wanted them in the room while he was trying to fix this specific situation, but someone needed to keep an eye on them.

The door to D.W.’s office was already open, and across the room, the door to Janus’s office was open as well. He steeled his nerves and strode across D.W’s office. Logan and the kids followed.

Sitting on a chair in front of Janus’s desk was a woman in a pale blue dress. A grey cardigan was tied around her shoulders. Her light brown hair fell just past her chin in a cute bob. When she turned to look at Janus, her eyes were bloodshot through her round glasses. A smattering of freckles dotted her cheeks. For a split second, Janus almost thought Patton Hart was sitting in his office. Diana Short looked too much like him to be a coincidence. 

“Miss Short,” Janus said in greeting. Janus sat down in his chair across from her. Logan stood at his side. It was odd to see her in person. When she was borrowing money from him, he only saw her as an email address, some random woman behind a screen who bit off more than she could chew and ended up in a bad situation. He never put a name to a face with one of his clients before.

Diana Short wiped at her eyes under her glasses. “Mr. Chimera,” she said. Her voice cracked with emotion. Her gaze fell on Virgil and the twins. Her eyes widened. “What are you doing here?”

Virgil stared at her in shock. “Diana?”

“You know her?” Janus asked. 

“She’s our cousin.” Virgil and his brothers rushed towards her. “Why are you here?”

Diana stood and enveloped all three of them in a hug. “Something happened,” she said softly. “Don’t worry about it. Where’s Uncle Pat?”

“Running from someone,” Remus answered. “We don’t know why.”

“We’re staying with Mr. Chimera,” Roman piped up. 

Janus furrowed his brow. She was Patton Hart’s niece. How young did that make her? “Miss Short,” he said. “Just how old are you?”

Diana didn’t answer right away. “Eighteen.”

“Why on earth were you borrowing money from a crime organization?” Logan asked, baffled. 

Diana let go of the three brothers with one arm to wipe at her eyes. “I didn’t have a lot of choice if I wanted to go to college. My parents sent me on my own. Jemma and my uncle were my only source of money.”

Logan blinked. “Jemma?”

“Her girlfriend,” Janus clarified. “The one that we... took hostage.”

Logan grimaced. “Ah.”

Diana let go of the three boys and stepped back. She sat back down in her chair, her three cousins standing around her as if they didn’t know whether to stay there or go sit down on the couch. “I was wondering where Patton went,” Diana said. “I stopped by your house but no one was home.”

“You stopped by the Hart’s house?” Janus asked. A pang of concern went through him. “By any chance have you been followed?”

“I don’t know,” Diana said. “Maybe. I thought I was for a bit, but I thought I was just being paranoid.”

Janus exchanged a knowing glance with Logan. If she had stopped by Patton’s house, anyone in Wrath’s Blade might have made the connection between her and Patton. They could be considering kidnapping her in order to get to Patton. The minute she left this building, she could be in danger. 

Diana shook her head and took a deep breath. “Anyway. I’m not here to talk about Patton. I still need to finish my business with you.” She looked at Janus.

“Right.” Janus couldn’t stop playing with the necklace Logan gave him. “I take it that someone already took you to our infirmary yesterday to confirm that the woman who was hurt is your girlfriend?” Janus said.

Diana nodded. She sniffled, eyes trained on the surface of the desk. “I’m sorry I yelled at you when you called yesterday,” she choked out. “I... I don’t know why I blew up.”

“It’s alright, Miss Short,” Janus assured her. “I don’t blame you. I would have done the same.” He cleared his throat and sat up straight. He was finding it very difficult to remain calm and professional. He just felt so absolutely awful about what happened. “So. As for the money you owe, we will not be asking you to repay it. I will be paying for any medical procedures, and if there is anything else you need financial help for, I would be glad to help.”

Diana wiped her eyes again. “Anything I need help with? Anything at all?”

“Yes.” Janus twisted the chain of his necklace. “What is it that you need?”

“I need a place to stay.”

Janus blinked. He hadn’t been expecting that. “I can certainly provide that, but why? Do you not have a home?”

“Jemma and I just moved into the dorms at college before you kidnapped her. I can’t continue school anymore. Not like this.” Janus felt a bullet of guilt tear through him when she said that. “They probably won’t let me stay in the dorms if I’m not taking classes, so I need somewhere to stay. And I’m not going back to my parents. They would kill me if they knew I was here.”

“That can absolutely be arranged,” Janus said. “You can choose wherever you want to stay and I will—”

“Janus?”

Janus paused and looked at Virgil. Virgil stared at him with what Janus could only describe as puppy dog eyes. 

“Can she stay with us?” Virgil asked. He batted his eyelashes for good measure. Roman and Remus joined in, gazing at Janus with wide, pleading eyes. Looking into their hopeful gazes, Janus found that he just couldn’t bring himself to say no. 

“Well,” he said, trying to find a way to say no without feeling bad, “I’m sure that... If she can’t find another...” He shot a glance at Remus and sighed in defeat. “I’m already taking care of three kids. What’s one more?” 

The three boys’ faces all lit up at once. Janus turned to Diana. “Miss Short, would that arrangement be alright with you?”

Roman turned his gaze to Diana and clasped his hands together. “Please?”

Diana hesitated. “I don’t know.”

Logan straightened his glasses. “If it’s any consolation, you won’t be the only girl in the house. I’m sure D.W. would actually be quite thrilled to have some female company. It also may be the safest option for you, as the people who are chasing after your uncle may come after you as well if they know you’re related.”

Diana bit her lip nervously. “I guess. Just for now.”

“Alright,” Janus sighed, relieved that this issue was more or less resolved. “You can stay here in my office until it’s time to go home.”

Roman grabbed Diana’s hand and pulled her out of the chair, earning a startled yelp from her. “Come see our pillow fort!”

Roman and Remus dragged her off to the pillow fort. Virgil started after them, but he paused. He turned to look at Janus. “Janus?” he said quietly.

“Yes, Virgil?”

“Did I... was... am I the reason Diana’s here?”

Janus blinked. “I don’t know what you mean.”

Virgil shoved his hands in his pockets. “Her girlfriend got hurt because of me. Yesterday. If I hadn’t gone down there, she wouldn’t have gotten shot.”

Before Janus could say anything, Logan stepped forward and put a reassuring hand on Virgil’s shoulder. “You were not the one with the gun, Virgil. Anyone could have gotten hurt yesterday whether you were there or not. It’s not your fault.”

Virgil nodded, but he didn’t look quite convinced. He gnawed on his bat necklace and crawled into the pillow fort after his brothers.

Janus stared after Virgil with concern. The kid must have felt incredibly guilty over what happened yesterday. Janus wanted to make sure he was okay, but he didn’t know what to say or do about it. He got the feeling Virgil wasn’t going to let this issue go.

Janus picked up the phone. Maybe he should make a call to someone who could help with these kids.

*******

Remy woke to a pounding headache. He groaned and burrowed further into the bed. Something was wrapped in his arms, and he hugged it tighter.

He relaxed when he felt a hand run through his hair. “It’s okay, Rem,” a familiar voice said from above him. “You can go back to sleep. We’re not leaving right away.”

Remy furrowed his brow. Didn’t he need to be awake right now? Something had happened. He needed to fix it. He just couldn’t remember what it was.

“You don’t need to fix anything,” the voice said. The hand still stroked his hair, trying to lull him back into sleep. It was working. “You just need rest.”

But Remy got in trouble, didn’t he? He needed to apologize, or fix it, or something. He couldn’t just lay here.

“No, no, no,” the voice whispered. “You don’t have to apologize for anything. You need to stay here and rest.”

Remy grunted and squirmed. Then he noticed that whatever he was resting his head on was more solid than a pillow, but just as comfortable. It was warm and soft. He nuzzled into it with content sigh.

He realized with a start that the thing he was cuddling in his arms was a person’s torso. And if he was cuddling someone, then the thing he was resting his head on was—

His eyes snapped open and he looked up, but the sudden movement made his head spin and spots dance in his vision. He groaned in pain and shook his head. He put his hands on the mattress and pushed himself up, staring down at the other person in the bed.

Patton lied there in his pyjamas. The hand that had been in Remy’s hair now rested on his shoulder. Remy’s hands were on either side of Patton, accidentally trapping him on the bed right under Remy, which oddly enough, made his face heat up. Maybe it was just hot under the covers. Yeah, that was it.

Patton raised an eyebrow. “You feeling okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

Remy swallowed and stared down at Patton. Were his eyes always that... pretty?

Remy cleared his throat and rolled off of Patton. “Sorry, I’m just still tired.” He wracked his brain, trying to remember how he’d ended up here, but he just drew a blank. Everything after checking into the hotel was fuzzy. “What happened?”

“You were drugged and kidnapped,” Patton said. He reached over and tangled his fingers back in Remy’s hair. “Thomas and I got you out of there.”

“You did most of it,” said another voice in the room.

Remy jumped. He hadn’t realized there were other people around. Thomas sat on the other bed in his red jacket, tying his shoes. Andy and Pryce were there too. Their hair was wet, as if they’d just showered. Andy rubbed at her hair with a towel and Pryce carefully combed her own while staring into a compact mirror.

Patton shrugged. “Well, I didn’t do much.” He turned back to Remy. “You wanna get some more rest, Rem?”

Pryce rolled her eyes and snapped her mirror shut. “Oh my God, are you two going to stop being gay for two seconds?”

No one seemed to notice the blush on Remy’s face as Thomas turned to glare at Pryce. “Was that an insult at gay people?”

“Oh, honey, no. I’m a raging bisexual.” Pryce ran a hand through her hair. “I look like a lesbian, though.” She looked at Andy. “Do you not have any feminine clothes?”

“Well, I’m sorry I’m more butch than you want for your fashion taste,” Andy scoffed. “You’re lucky I have shirts small enough to fit you.”

Pryce sighed. “Whatever. Thanks for the shirt, I guess.” She straightened her jacket. “Anyway, Sunglasses, now that you’re awake, Hot Topic has something to ask you.”

Andy narrowed her eyes. “Why are you asking me to ask him?”

“You’re his friend.”

“Fine.” Andy tossed her towel to the floor and grabbed her laptop bag. “Pryce and I were wondering if we could borrow your bike. I need to check something out, and I don’t want to leave you guys without Thomas’s car in case you need to run.”

Thomas furrowed his brow. “Where are you going?”

“Just doing a side job,” Andy said. There was something in her voice, some sort of hesitation, but Remy couldn’t decipher it. His head was still spinning.

Remy nodded. “Sure. Don’t crash it or anything.”

“Cool.” Andy leaned down and dug through the pockets of Remy’s leather jacket for the keys. “We’re gonna grab something to eat in the dining area. Remy, you want us to bring you some breakfast?”

“We’ll get room service,” Patton answered for him. Remy was glad he did. He didn’t know if he could stand up without passing out.

Thomas stood. “I’ll be back right after breakfast. Stay safe.”

With that, he, Pryce, and Andy all filed out of the hotel room. That left Remy and Patton alone.

Patton ruffled Remy’s hair. “I’ll get us some food. Stay here.”

He sat up and grabbed the phone off the bedside table, along with his glasses. Remy snuggled under the covers again, deciding that getting some more sleep wouldn’t be the worst thing for him right now.

Besides, Patton would protect him if anything went wrong. Nothing bad could happen to him as long as Patton was around.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is completely unrelated to the fic and sanders sides in general, but Unus Annus is getting deleted in a few days and i am absolutely NOT ready. i've been writing a shitty crack fic about the sides at Camp Unus Annus to cope with it, it's probably the dumbest thing i've ever written but this is my coping mechanism and i am going to post it on november 13. please tell me i'm not the only one who's not ready for the channel to die, i'm going to miss it so god damn much


	25. Girls' Day Doesn't Go As Planned

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> D.W. has to deal with an issue she was not prepared to handle. Meanwhile, Andy and Pryce check out an abandoned building that used to be the headquarters of an old gang.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i don't think there are any warnings for this chapter, but if i missed anything you want me to add a warning for, let me know!

D.W. straightened her blazer as she followed Magi and Teal down the hall. “So, what’s the issue?”

“Still kind of figuring it out,” Magi admitted. Her heeled boots clacked against the floor.

“Long story short,” Teal said, “a bounty hunter from the next city over came here demanding to speak with Mr. Chimera. He said he had something important to tell us, but he wouldn’t disclose what it was. He was acting nervous, like he was being followed.”

D.W. let that sink in. Why on earth would a random bounty hunter from Sidehill come here? Chimera didn’t have any bounty hunters employed, and neither did Wrath, so this one was probably either unaffiliated or involved with another organization.

“Where did you put him?” D.W. asked.

“We’ve got him in my office,” Teal said. She straightened her blue necktie. “We haven’t gotten anything out of him yet. He’s refusing to say anything until he sees Mr. Chimera, but I’m sure you can get him to talk. He demanded that we put guards outside the door, for whatever reason. We weren’t going to leave him alone in there anyway, but it was strange that he requested it.”

D.W. wondered what to do as they walked towards Teal’s office. They never really had a situation like this before. Bounty hunters didn’t often come banging on their door.

The three of them paused in front of Teal’s office. The door was open. Two other agents flanked it, and inside, D.W. spotted a man sitting in a chair in front of Teal’s desk. A few other agents were inside, keeping watch over the bounty hunter to make sure he didn’t run off or attack anyone. They wouldn’t just let anyone into the building without a bunch of security.

D.W. strode into the room, hands behind her back. “So, mind telling me exactly who you are and why you thought you could get an audience with Chimera as soon as you dropped by?”

The bounty hunter whirled around in his seat to face D.W. He had obviously been expecting Janus, because his face screwed into a scowl. “Who the hell are you?”

D.W. barked out a laugh and walked around the other agents to have a seat at Teal’s desk, right across from the bounty hunter. She sat down and crossed her real leg over her prosthetic, leaning back in the chair as if this was her office, not someone else’s. “I don’t have to answer to you.” She examined her nails. “Now, why don’t you tell me who you are so we can get this over with?”

“I want to speak to the head of Chimera,” the bounty hunter snarled. The agents on either side of him tensed, ready to grab him and escort him from the room. D.W. motioned for them to relax.

Magi and Teal walked over to stand at D.W.’s sides. D.W. uncrossed her legs and leaned forward, glaring at the bounty hunter across the desk. “News flash, mister. Chimera is less of a chimera and more like a hydra. There’s more than one head. Janus is just the one in the middle, the one everyone sees first. You don’t know how many heads there are. I’m the one you’re dealing with now. But I understand why you would have preferred Janus. He’s the only head that might not bite your throat out.”

The confidence seemed to drain out of the bounty hunter. “Your little monologue doesn’t scare me,” he said with a shaky voice. D.W. smirked at that.

“Get on with it, then,” D.W. said. “Who are you and what are you doing here?”

“I’m here with information that I think you might want.”

“I’ll need a name first.”

The bounty hunter sighed. “My name is James. James Thompson. I’m an unaffiliated bounty hunter. And I swear on my life that I’m not here to harm anyone.”

D.W.’s smirk spread into a smile at the wording he used. “We’ll hold you to that swear. Now, what information do you think is so absolutely important that you feel you have to share it with us?”

James took a deep breath. “I promised I wouldn’t say, so if I go missing or something after this, I’m blaming it on you.”

“Mhm.” D.W. went back to examining her fingernails. God, this was fun. She didn’t often deal with big things personally. She should let Janus know she could deal with these problems more. It would probably take a work load off his shoulders as well and allow him to deal with the smaller problems that he like handling more.

“Poison Dart is alive.”

Those words hit her like a bullet. She froze. No, how did that information get out? How did this random bounty hunter know?

D.W. slowly looked up at everyone else in the room. Some of the younger agents looked confused, but the older ones exchanged nervous glances with each other.

D.W. put her hands on the desk and stood. “I want everyone out of the room, except for you three.” She gestured to James, Teal, and Magi.

The agents looked concerned and confused, but they all filed out of the room, leaving the four of them alone. D.W. sat back down and folded her hands on the desk. She took a deep breath to keep calm. “Why do you think that?”

“I saw him!” James exclaimed. Magi took a step forward, moving closer to D.W. just in case this bounty hunter got aggravated enough to lunge at them.

“You think you saw him,” D.W. corrected.

“No, I know I did!” James took a deep breath. “Okay, here’s the full story. I was going after someone so I could get them for the bounty. Just a standard job. Everything was going fine. I kidnapped the person’s friend to get to them. Normal stuff.”

D.W. nodded as James spoke. Her gut sank. She didn’t need to ask who James had been after. D.W. already knew.

“I did the standard thing,” James continued. “I called the guy I wanted and told him to give himself up for his friend. Me and my partner, Darren, were holding him in a hotel room. The guy came in, gave himself up, we let his friend go, and we were going to take him outside when all of a sudden, he just...” He waved his hand. “Attacked us. He moved so god damn fast we hardly had time to do anything. He stabbed Darren and almost shot me. Darren’s in the hospital now. The guy said not to come after him, and I asked how he would stop us if we did, and he... he said he was Poison Dart. And before you say it was probably just an imposter, you didn’t _see_ the fucker. If you saw it, you would believe it too.”

D.W. sighed. She couldn’t let this random bounty hunter know that he was right about Poison Dart being alive.

There was silence for a moment. “Are you done?” D.W. asked.

“Yes.”

“And this happened over in Sidehill?”

“Yes.”

“And who is this person you insist is actually Poison Dart?”

James didn’t answer right away. She glanced back at the door, as if Poison Dart himself would kick it down and shoot him in the head for speaking. That could have happened ten years ago, but now? Not a chance.

James leaned in to whisper. “Patton Hart.”

D.W.’s heart sank, but she tried to keep her face emotionless. “Really? That’s the best you could come up with?”

“It’s true!” James burst. “I saw him! He came in, he stabbed Darren, and said he was Poison Dart. He’s still in the hotel we kidnapped his friend in.”

Teal stepped forward, glaring at James, silently warning him to calm down. James withered under her gaze.

D.W. tapped her fingernails on the desk. She wasn’t great at outright lying, so it was time to stretch some truths.

“I know Patton Hart,” she said, starting off with something true to ease herself into a lie. “He just happened to get in shit with Wrath’s Blade and went on the run. I also know who Poison Dart used to be.” Also a truth. “Patton Hart is nothing like Poison Dart. They are not the same people.” That was mostly true as well. D.W. didn’t consider them to be the same people. As far as D.W. was concerned, Poison Dart died in 2010 and Patton Hart has been living as himself ever since. She still didn’t quite trust the man, but he was nowhere near as bad as he was in 2010 and the years before.

“But he told me—”

“A lie in order to get you to leave him alone,” D.W. finished. She was getting dangerously close to lying territory now. She hoped she didn’t start fumbling with her words.

“Why would he use Poison Dart’s name to cover his ass if he wasn’t actually Poison Dart?” James looked absolutely flabbergasted that D.W. was disproving his theory. D.W. just had to keep him from finding out that it was the truth.

“He must have thought you were stupid enough to believe it.” D.W. leaned back in the chair with a sigh. “We’re done here. Maria! Alex!” she called. The door to Teal’s office swung open and two agents stepped in. “Escort this bounty hunter out of the building, please. He had nothing useful to tell us.”

“But it’s true,” James half-heartedly muttered as he was lifted from his chair. “He said he was.”

He didn’t struggle as he was dragged out of the room. A few other agents stepped in once he was gone, fearful looks in their eyes. “Is it true?” one of them asked.

“No,” D.W. said immediately. “He was just stupid enough to believe a lie.” D.W. waved a hand. “You can all go. I need to discuss things with Magi and Teal. And don’t let this little incident get out to anyone. We don’t need rumours bouncing around.”

The agents left, not looking entirely convinced. They shut the door behind them.

“Could you tell I was lying out of my ass?” D.W. asked.

“Yes,” Magi said at the same time Teal said “No.” They both looked at each other in confusion.

Magi bounced on her heels. “Well, I think you could have done better. But you didn’t fail. He at least believed that you believed you were telling the truth.”

“That’s what I was thinking,” Teal said, pushing her glasses up her nose. “I was looking at it objectively from the perspective of someone who doesn’t know your tells.”

“But you do know my tells,” D.W. pointed out.

“And from that perspective, that one lie at the end was as obvious as if you were Pinocchio,” Teal said. “You did your best.”

“I do have some questions, though,” Magi said. She sat on Teal’s desk and smoothed out her skirt. “Why did he say Patton Hart was Poison Dart? Isn’t he the guy whose kids you’re taking care of?”

D.W. sighed. She just couldn’t lie to Teal and Magi. It was impossible, not to mention that it would make her feel bad.

“Yeah, he is. But I’m sure he was just using the name Poison Dart to get the bounty hunter off his back.”

“Nope.” Teal pointed down at D.W.’s hip. “You’re rubbing your prosthetic leg. You do that when you’re lying.”

D.W. moved both her hands so they were on top of the desk, frustrated that Teal knew her so well. “Look, I just don’t think we should talk about it. It’s kind of a secret between the heads of Chimera in this area.”

“So... Poison Dart is alive?” Magi whispered.

“And it’s Patton Hart?” Teal added.

D.W. stood. “I can’t confirm or deny anything. I’m not really supposed to say. This is between me, Janus, and Emile. It’s a complicated story. I might actually have to talk to Emile about it.”

“You can use my phone,” Teal said, gesturing to the phone on her desk. “Do you need us to leave the room?”

“No point,” D.W. sighed. “You already pretty much know, even though I feel like I shouldn’t outright say it.”

“Sounds good to me.” Magi shifted in her seat on Teal’s desk, disturbing some of the papers on the desktop.

As Teal tried to calmly coax Magi off the desk before she ruined all of Teal’s important documents, D.W. punched in Emile’s number. She hoped they could do some damage control before rumours of Poison Dart began to spread.

*******

Andy was glad that she and Pryce had taken Remy’s bike instead of asking to borrow Thomas’ car. For one, it was faster, and if anyone came after them (which was unlikely, but still), it wouldn’t be hard to get away. Also, her legs were too short to comfortably drive Thomas’ car. She’d tried before.

Andy drove the motorcycle through the city. Pryce pointed her down certain streets, leading them to the former headquarters of the Glassed Hearts gang. Andy still didn’t trust Pryce and was half sure that she was actually leading them somewhere dangerous, but Andy tried not to think about that for now. She just needed to focus on getting them through the city safely.

Although, there was no reason to think they wouldn’t be safe. They weren’t travelling with Patton. No bounty hunters would be after them. They were in neutral territory.

Still, she couldn’t help but glance over her shoulder every once in a while. Travelling with Patton yesterday really set her on edge.

As they drove on, the buildings became more and more ruined. They mostly appeared to be abandoned or repurposed warehouses and apartment buildings. Some were falling apart at the seams. Others were more well taken care of. Andy had never been to this area of Sidehill before. Granted, she hardly ever went outside. She was usually too busy working to go anywhere.

Pryce pointed down another street and Andy turned the bike to follow her directions. Pryce pointed to a tall building. Andy slowed the bike down to park in front of it.

The two of them pried off their helmets. “Oh no, my hair’s all messed up,” Pryce whined.

Andy glanced back to look. Pryce’s hair looked absolutely perfect, aside from a little cowlick in the back.

“You’re fine, Princey.” Andy set her helmet on the bike seat and gazed up at the building. “So, this is the one Poison Dart set on fire?”

The building looked like it used to be an apartment building, but now it was merely a shell of what it once was. The corner of the building near the top was nothing but rubble. The top of the walls were black and jagged, as if the entire top floor of the building had been ripped off. Most of the windows either didn’t have any glass panes in them or were cracked.

“I don’t think anyone’s bought it,” Pryce said. “Pretty sure it’s still Glassed Hearts’ property, but they haven’t been here in ages.”

“Interesting.” Andy shouldered her laptop bag. Pryce had told her to leave it behind, but Andy’s laptop was pretty much part of her. She wouldn’t leave it behind even if her house was on fire.

“Here goes nothing.” Andy started for the building, but she yelped when Pryce grabbed the back of her sweater and yanked her to a stop.

“Hold up, Hot Topic!” Pryce exclaimed. “You can’t just waltz in there like you own the place. I’ve been chased down by gangs for doing less.”

Andy resisted the urge to scream. “Princey, you said they haven’t been here in ages. Why are we here if we’re not gonna check it out?”

“I’m just saying we should be careful,” Pryce said. She reached into her jacket and grabbed a gun. “Let me go first. I don’t want you getting shot.”

Andy blinked, a little taken aback. “You’re going first to keep me safe? I thought you didn’t give a shit about me?’

Pryce blinked. “Well... your sense of humour can be... endearing at times. Besides, you’re the only other woman in the group I’m stuck with. I will not be dragged around with a bunch of men on my own.”

With that, she turned and strode to the building, leaving Andy in her mild confusion. Andy shook it off and followed Pryce to the building.

Pryce turned the doorknob and gently pushed it open. She poked her head into the building, and Andy found herself rolling her eyes at Pryce’s unnecessary precautions. Pryce stepped inside, motioning for Andy to follow.

Broken glass crunched beneath Andy’s converse as they entered the building. As bad as it looked on the outside, the inside was worse. Old debris was scattered all around the room. The wall at the opposite end of the room was mostly destroyed, and the floor above was partially collapsed, scattering rubble everywhere. Black scorch marks decorated the walls.

“So, you said what happened here is like an old horror story,” Andy said. “Mind telling it to me?”

Pryce’s face brightened at the request. “Tell you a story? Oh, girl, you don’t want me to. I won’t shut up for at least an hour.”

“Just tell me a quick version,” Andy said. “Please. I don’t want to be here for any longer than necessary. This place gives me the creeps.”

Pryce cleared her throat. “Okay! So, just from what I’ve heard through the grapevine, mostly through older members of the Glassed Hearts, they’re a pretty powerful. They usually deal in drugs and intimidation gigs. They were badass as hell when they set up base here. they used to be a lot bigger and more powerful back then.” Pryce grinned as she spoke. She sounded excited. “They ran this _entire_ end of Sidehill. They protected their little part of the community from bigger gangs. They were incredible. Strong, capable people who didn’t rely on any bigger organizations to keep them going. I was honestly tempted to see if I could join them when I was younger.”

“So what went wrong?” Andy asked.

“Well,” Pryce said. Her voice took on a harder, almost angry tone. “One day, they were fine. The next, this entire building went up in flames.” She turned her gaze to the broken windows. “The fire started on the bottom floor. Hardly anyone made it out. It was a wonder any of the members of the gang survived. None of the gang members returned to this place for fear that someone could try to finish them off. Everyone who lived ran for their lives. They had to rebuild everything back from the ground up when they moved to Clawmore.”

Andy gazed around the destroyed building. She found it so hard to believe that Patton Hart would do such a thing. “But how did the fire start?”

Pryce shrugged. “No one knows. Some of them thought it was an inside job, but no surviving members fessed up, so they ruled that out. They only realized it could have been an assassin named Poison Dart when two of the remining members went to hide out in the Critic House and realized they were being followed. The guy staked them out for days until one of them snuck off the property for whatever reason. She was found dead at the edge of the property, facing the hotel as if she tried to run back to it but got shot in the back just before she stepped foot in the parking lot.”

Andy furrowed her brow. “But that makes no sense. If the assassin tracked them to the Critic House, why didn’t he shoot her in the back as soon as she stepped off the property?”

“Bounty hunters and assassins think differently,” Pryce said. “Part of it is that Poison Dart was probably trying to stay out of sight so she thought it was safe to leave. If she saw him, she wouldn’t have left and he couldn’t get her. The rest of the reason... well, it’s a bit of a mind game. Intimidation is what all of us do in order to get information, keep safe, or even just pull off a job in a new way so we don’t get bored doing the same thing over and over. He must have tracked her to wherever she was going, made sure she suspected she was being followed to put her on edge, then shot her just as she thought she’d be safe.”

Andy knew what it was like to be followed. However, she couldn’t imagine how it would feel to leave a safe haven and be paranoid about being followed until she returned, only to be shot in the back when she thought she was safe. Just the thought made Andy shudder.

She gazed around at the ruined building. “So, do you think we’ll be able to find anything useful here that’ll tell us anything about Poison Dart?”

“Maybe.” Pryce started for the far wall. “Let’s get looking.”

Andy gripped the strap of her laptop bag tight as she shuffled through the debris. She wasn’t sure if there was anything useful here, and she didn’t know why she though there would be. The entire place was burned. There was probably nothing left. The most they could hope for was ruined remnants from the lives of the gang members that used to live here. They might find something related to Poison Dart, but it probably wouldn’t explain how that was related to Patton.

However, Andy didn’t regret coming here. It helped her understand just a little better how dangerous this business was. She’d been in it for a few years already, but she worked behind the scenes, protected behind a screen. Seeing this destruction was terrifying. This is what people did in her line of work. Even if most people didn’t go to these lengths to eliminate their targets, some people certainly had the capacity.

Andy just had no idea why Patton Hart of all people would go that far.

She kicked over an old chunk of the ceiling. Probably dozens of people had died here. It was strange to stand here knowing that.

She took a deep breath and kicked some more debris aside. She doubted they would find anything helpful or useful, but there was no harm in looking.

She put her hands on a particularly large piece of rubble and pushed. It grated against the ground, forcing other pieces of the walls and ceiling out of the way. It didn’t reveal much of anything, aside from more debris, so she moved on.

Andy heard Pryce rummaging around in the rubble in the next room over. Neither of them had found anything interesting yet, or if Pryce did, she didn’t announce it.

Andy was pushing aside a small chunk of the ceiling when she heard the sound of something metal scraping against the floor. She stopped moving the chunk and the sound stopped. Out of curiosity, she took her hands off it and peered around the side of it.

Sitting on the floor, poking out from under the chunk of ceiling, was a key. Andy lifted the chunk and set it aside to look. The key was attached to a keychain in the shape of a colourful little frog, the colours muted by ash and dust. On the keychain next to the key was a metal tag that had a logo of a fairy on it.

Andy picked it up and turned it over in her fingers. “Hey Pryce?” she shouted.

She heard frantic scuffling from the room over. Pryce poked her head through the hole in the wall. “What is it?” she asked eagerly.

“I found something.” Andy walked over to her. “Not sure if it’s important, but it’s something.”

Pryce clambered over the remaining bit of the wall to join Andy in the entrance room. She dusted off her spotless white jacket. Andy approached with the keychain and held it out. Pryce took it and examined it. She stopped when she saw the tag.

“Oh, I know this logo,” she said. “It’s from Fairy Godmother’s Antique Shop. It doubles as a weapons shop and storage unit. I’ve got a locker there. Someone must have lost the key to their locker.”

Andy stared at the little frog on the keychain. “I think I know who.”

Pryce’s face lit up. “Really? Who?”

Andy pointed to the frog. “That’s a poison dart frog.”

Pryce’s eyes widened in realization. “Oh.” She turned the tag over and felt along it with her thumb. “They always engrave the locker number on the back. If we go there, we could get into his locker.” She paused. “There are initials engraved on it below the number. P.J. Those aren’t his initials, but do you think that’s Deadshot?”

“Why do you keep calling him that?” Andy asked.

“I like nicknames.” Pryce shoved the keychain in her pocket. “Think we should keep looking, Hot Topic?”

Andy wanted nothing more than to drive straight over to this antique shop and weapons unit, but Remy and the others would probably be expecting them to be back soon.

“They’re gonna get worried,” Andy said.

Pryce waved a hand. “Whatever. Just text Thomathy and let him know we’re still busy.”

“Thomathy?”

“My other options were Thomas the Dank Engine and Tommy Salami, but sometimes less is more, y’know?”

Andy pulled out her phone. “I’m changing his contact name to Thomas the Dank Engine.”

After quickly changing Thomas’s contact in her phone, Andy went to her messages and shot him a text. “we’re still busy, we’ll be a few minutes or hours yet. don’t burn down the hotel while we’re gone :P”

Andy shoved her phone back into her pocket without waiting for a response. “Let’s go check out Patton Hart’s weapons locker.”


	26. Come Get Your Free Mental Breakdown, It's On The House

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Virgil can't stop feeling guilty over the incident from the other day. Remus is also upset, but for different reasons.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS: Virgil has a brief panic attack for the first part of the chapter which is done after the break in the chapter, and there's a brief mention of small burn scars. after the chapter break, there's a brief description of dissociation. a summary will be in the end notes for anyone who wants to skip the chapter!

Virgil flapped his sweater sleeves as Roman and Remus chatted back and forth within their pillow fort. Virgil wasn’t listening to his brothers. He was really just tuning out their voices.

Diana nodded along politely and listened to them speak. She always listened to them when she visited, which Virgil appreciated. Dad listened to them too, of course, but it was nice to have someone else closer to their age to talk to. Virgil always loved it when Diana visited. Her parents never came to the house, but she drove to see Virgil and his family by herself often.

However, her presence was a painful reminder of the events that had happened just the day before. Virgil couldn’t shake the guilt that stuck to him like glue. Mr. Minder may have said otherwise, but Virgil still thought it was his own fault that Diana’s girlfriend had gotten hurt. He was the reason Diana was here.

“You think we can ask Mr. Chimera to take us to a toy store?” Remus perked up. “We haven’t gone to one in months.”

Diana nodded. “I’m sure he will if you ask,” she said. Her voice was quiet. Virgil was fine with that, despite the fact that it was unusual. He liked talking quietly, too.

“You can come with us,” Roman offered. “If you’re staying with us, you have to stay in Mr. Chimera’s sight. That’s what Dad said, apparently. He’s supposed to protect us.”

“Oh, I don’t want to intrude,” Diana said, shaking her head. “You guys should have fun.”

“You’re gonna wanna get some toys too,” Remus said. “It’ll be fun. Come on, we’ll ask him later.”

Diana shrugged. “I don’t know. I still need to get my stuff from the college dorms.”

“Maybe Mr. Minder can take you to get your stuff today,” Virgil suggested. It made sense to him, and Diana would still be safe if Mr. Minder was with her.

Diana gave him a smile. “Maybe.”

Roman piped up with something else to talk about, and Virgil turned his attention to Janus’s voice outside the pillow fort. He’d been talking for a while, and Virgil heard his footsteps pacing back and forth across the room as he spoke.

“She is a legal adult, yes,” Janus said. “I cannot force her to, but I believe she would benefit from seeing a grief counselor. Or at least a therapist of some sort. Would that be a good idea, do you think?” There was a pause as whoever Janus was speaking to on the phone responded. “I think two of Patton’s kids should see a therapist as well,” he continued, “and Roman might benefit just from one appointment at least, but the other two... well, yes, Logan has known these kids for a while now, and both he and their father think they have some mental illnesses or disorders. I was told Virgil might have autism, but even before that, I saw a lot of familiar symptoms in him.” Another pause. “Well, I don’t know. I haven’t asked them. I mean, I’m not diagnosed either, but I couldn’t care less. These are kids. They might want to know exactly what’s going on with themselves.”

Virgil pulled his attention away from Janus. What was this about a grief counselor?

Oh no.

Oh, no no no.

Was Jemma dead?

Guilt washed over Virgil like a bucket of ice cold water. He had been downstairs when Jemma was shot. He witnessed someone he knew get seriously hurt. The hostage who threatened to shoot him had shot Jemma instead. And if he had never gone there, the hostage never would have threatened to shoot her, and she never would have stepped in and gotten hurt.

It was his fault someone was hurt.

He was vaguely aware of his breathing picking up speed as a wave of guilt crashed down over him. He was responsible for someone getting shot. He caused Diana’s distress.

The room suddenly felt too hot in his sweater. He quickly squirmed out of it. He heard Roman and Remus asking him questions, trying to make sure he was okay, but the words were too loud to register anything. He had to get out of this stifling room. He needed to take a breath somewhere else.

He scrambled out of the blanket fort, grimacing through Roman and Remus’s loud shouts of protest. He hardly saw Mr. Chimera and Mr. Minder in the room and walked straight for the door. He heard Janus’s quieter voice say “Talk later, Emile, there’s a problem,” before Virgil threw the door open and hurried out of the office.

He picked up his pace and rushed across D.W.’s office. He nudged the door open and stepped into the hallway. He just needed to be away from people. 

Virgil hurried down the hall. Their gazes burned into him, as if they knew what he’d done, and the thought only made the guilt grow inside him, threatening to spill over and drown him. He turned down another hallway, searching for a place with no people, no one to look at him with those accusatory glances. He needed to find somewhere to hide.

His lungs burned and he slowed his pace. He stumbled over his feet. His legs felt like jelly. He stopped and leaned against the wall, chest heaving from his overwhelming emotions. He slid down the wall and curled up on the floor. There didn’t seem to be anyone in this hallway, fortunately. He didn’t want anyone to be mad at him, but he deserved it. He half wished Diana would come find him just to yell at him. That would drive him to a meltdown, but he deserved to be yelled at. He deserved to suffer for what he did. Maybe Mr. Chimera and Mr. Minder would come find him and shout at him, too.

Virgil shook his head frantically, trying to get those anxious thoughts out of his head. He had to calm down somehow. He pulled his knees to his chest and buried his face in his arms to shield his gaze from the lights in the hall.

Virgil took a deep breath in, counting as he did so. When he reached seven, he held his breath for four counts. He winced as he heard someone’s footsteps walk past the hallway. He wished he’d brought his headphones.

The breath left him quicker than it should have, but he inhaled slowly again, trying to pull his growing anxiety away. He gently rocked back and forth in his seat, just for some sort of stimulation. It helped calm him somewhat.

Virgil didn’t know how long it took for a pair of footsteps to make its way towards him. He heard a gentle thump as someone sat down next to him, not close enough to touch him, but close enough that Virgil knew they were there. He felt someone drape something over his shoulders. It didn’t feel like his own sweater. It wasn’t a suit jacket either, so this probably wasn’t Mr. Chimera, nor was it a cardigan, so this wasn’t Diana.

The slight weight of the sweater on his shoulders brought him out of his own mind a little. He lifted his head just enough to look over next to him.

Remus sat cross legged on the floor, hands folded in his lap. He was no longer wearing his hoodie, having set it over Virgil’s shoulders. Virgil’s heart leaped into his throat when he saw the dozens of tiny burn scars on Remus’s arms. He squeaked and started to shrug Remus’s sweater off. Remus didn’t like people seeing them. He needed his sweater.

Remus reached out and put a hand on Virgil’s back to stop him. “It’s okay,” he said quietly.

Remus needed his sweater. Virgil didn’t. But he knew Remus wouldn’t budge, so he had no choice. Besides, the weight of the sweater was helping bring him back down to earth.

Virgil took another deep breath. He couldn’t help but wonder if Diana was going to hate him. He’d caused her girlfriend to get hurt.

Remus rubbed Virgil’s back. The feeling gave Virgil something to focus on. He took deep breaths, trying to calm himself down. It was so hard to tell whether he was on the verge of a panic attack or a shutdown. 

Another pair of footsteps approached them. Virgil looked up.

“Virgil, there you are,” Diana said. The footsteps stopped in front of him. “I brought your sweater. Here.”

Diana set something in front of him and Virgil grabbed it off the floor. He ran his hands along the stitching of the purple patches on his sweater. He wanted to say thank you, but the words wouldn’t leave his mouth. He just hugged his sweater. He didn’t want Diana to see him upset again. She probably thought Virgil was some pathetic kid. She probably hated him. He wouldn’t blame her.

Diana sat down on Virgil’s other side. “Can you let me know when you can speak, kiddo?” she asked softly. “I wanna know what’s wrong so I can help.”

Virgil buried his face in his sweater to block out the lights in the hallway. The familiar feeling of his sweater in his arms was comforting, and the weight of Remus’s sweater and his hand on Virgil’s back helped a little.

He finally raised his head and turned to look at Remus. He was sitting with his free arm behind his back to hide his scars from Diana. Diana, however, hadn’t seemed to notice. She was still sitting on the floor on the other side of Virgil, fiddling with the sleeves of her cardigan and waiting patiently for Virgil to feel well enough to speak.

Virgil took one last deep breath and sat up straight so he could dig around in his sweater pockets. He found his phone and pulled it out. He went to his notes app and typed in what he wanted to say. He held it up so Janus could see the screen.

_I’m sorry I got Jemma hurt. I didn’t mean to. I shouldn’t have gone to see the hostages._

Diana stared at the screen. “Virgil, no,” she whispered. “It wasn’t your fault she was hurt. Mr. Chimera said that hostage was out of control. He could have killed any number of people. He was the one with the gun. You weren’t. You were a victim in that situation. Jemma may have gotten hurt, and yeah, I’m sad about that, but she’ll be okay. I’m just glad you weren’t hurt too.”

Tears stung at Virgil’s eyes. He was emotionally exhausted now, and he just wanted to go home.

Diana reached out and wiped Virgil’s tears. “You might feel like it was your fault, but it wasn’t,” she said. “Don’t blame yourself for this, Virge. The only person at fault is the one who started the situation, and that wasn’t you. Don’t beat yourself up over it.”

Virgil swiped at his eyes. He still thought this was his fault, but now there was another reason he was crying.

Diana’s words sounded just like something Dad would say.

Virgil inched closer to Diana, arms still wrapped around his sweater. Diana wrapped an arm around him and held him close.

Virgil wasn’t quite sure how long he sat there, taking deep breaths and trying to calm down. It could have been a minute or an hour. He couldn’t tell. He chewed on his necklace, flapped his hands, rocked back and forth—anything that might help him feel better.

Slowly but surely, it worked. He still found it hard to talk, but he managed to unfold from his curled up seat on the floor. A yawn escaped his lips.

“Tired?” Diana asked. “I guess a mental breakdown will do that to you.”

Virgil barked out a hoarse laugh with little humour. He nodded in agreement. 

“We should get back to Mr. Chimera’s office.” Diana pushed herself to her feet. “I think the others want to know we found you so they can stop worrying.” 

She held out a hand. Virgil took it and Diana hoisted him to his feet. Remus tucked both of his arms behind his back and stood with them. 

The three of them started down the hallway, Diana with a hand on each of the kids’ shoulders. Virgil hugged his sweater tighter as they walked. It was soft and familiar. 

Another wave of guilt crashed over him. He’d interrupted Janus’s work. This was a stupid thing to have a breakdown over. He shouldn’t have made a scene like this.

“Don’t worry about it,” Diana said quietly, as if she knew what Virgil was thinking. “I’m sure Mr. Chimera won’t mind. He and I were done with our business anyway. Maybe you can have a nap or something when we get back to his office. You really look tired, kiddo.”

Virgil nodded. He still didn’t believe it when Diana said everything was fine, but it had been a stressful few days. Virgil deserved a nap. 

*******

Remus flinched when he heard D.W.’s voice enter Mr. Chimera’s office. 

“Sorry that took so long, Jan. I was on call with Emile and he had to put me on hold for a bit while he talked to someone else.”

“Ah, I believe that was my fault,” Mr. Chimera’s voice responded. “I needed advice from Dr. Picani regarding the children. We have accidentally picked up another kid to take care of.”

Remus shrank down in his seat inside the blanket fort. Diana and Roman were in D.W.’s office, reading together. And Virgil was asleep right next to Remus. He couldn’t protect Remus if anything went wrong. 

He shook his head. There was nothing he needed protection from. D.W. was fine. She wasn’t going to hurt anyone. 

“Yeah, I saw her in my office,” she said. “Where are we picking up all these kids? Did we start an orphanage or something?”

“No, she’s technically a legal adult,” Mr. Chimera’s said. “She’s the girlfriend of the hostage who was shot yesterday, and she also happens to be Patton Hart’s niece. Virgil and his brothers recognized her. She may be in danger, so I offered to let her stay with us, at the boys’ insistence.”

D.W. let out a low whistle. “Damn. Guess we’ll have to make sure the other guest room has clean sheets.”

“What was the issue Magi and Teal needed help with?” Mr. Chimera asked. 

“Bounty hunter from Sidehill stopped by. He... He had a pretty interesting issue he thought we needed to know about.”

Remus tried to listen, but their voices became quieter, and he couldn’t hear them. He cursed in his head. Usually when adults were talking like that, there was something they didn’t want the kids to know. Patton spoke like that sometimes with Remy, and he was pretty sure their old foster parents did that a lot. When Remus accidentally interrupted their foster parents, he was yelled at. Remus was sure the same thing would happen if he interrupted Patton, so he’d never tried. He wasn’t about to interrupt Mr. Chimera or D.W. either. He didn’t want to risk it.

“We can’t go home right now,” Mr. Chimera said, loud enough for Remus to hear. “We still have a lot of work to do. But this does make things a bit more... urgent. And there’s still the issue with Miss Short. She needs to pick up her things from her university and bring them to our house.”

“I can take her to get her stuff from the dorms,” D.W. offered. “I’ll drive her home to get settled. I can bring Magi and Teal with me for some extra backup.”

“That’s not a bad idea. I’ll stay with the boys. Virgil had a panic attack earlier because he thought it was his fault Diana’s girlfriend was shot, and I don’t want him to wake up from his nap wondering where everyone went. I think it just took a while for yesterday’s events to process.”

“Alright. I’ll stay at the house with the kid when we’re done.” D.W.’s footsteps walked across the office. Remus automatically tensed when she yelled her next words. “Hey, Teal! We’re on babysitting duty!”

Remus didn’t like how her voice sounded when she yelled. She didn’t sound angry, but he couldn’t help but wonder how it would sound if she was.

He blinked furiously as his head started to feel all floaty. He didn’t want to space out, but the feeling creeped up on him, and he couldn’t figure out how to push it back. A foggy film settled over his vision, like he was watching his life through a TV screen. It felt like he wasn’t even in his own body.

Remus couldn’t stop it, so he let himself zone out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Virgil is overwhelmed with guilt because he thinks it was his fault that Diana's girlfriend was hurt. He leaves Janus's office, needing to be alone for a second. Remus finds him and tries to help. Then Diana finds the two of them and reassures Virgil that he did nothing wrong. She and Remus wait with Virgil until he calms down and they go back to Janus's office. Remus sits in the pillow fort as Virgil has a nap next to him. D.W. enters the office and tells Janus about the bounty hunter that visited in the last chapter. After that, she decides to go with Diana to get her stuff from her college dorms. D.W. yells to Teal that she's coming with. Remus is scared by the sound of her yelling and dissociates.


	27. Just A Couple Of Gal Pals Having A Tender Moment, Nothing Gay Here

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Remy sees something he isn't supposed to see. Andy and Pryce find something they were looking for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> get ready for shit to go down in about six or seven chapters :)

“How’s he feeling?”

Remy hardly registered Thomas’s voice when he walked back into the room. Remy shifted in bed and didn’t open his eyes. He just wanted to sleep.

“He went right back to sleep after eating a piece of toast,” Patton’s voice said. He must have been talking about Remy. “The girls back yet?”

“Nope.” Thomas flopped onto the other bed. “I hope Pryce didn’t kill Andy.”

“You think she would?”

“I don’t know. I don’t trust her. She’s a bounty hunter.”

“Bounty hunters and assassins think differently,” Patton said. “I’m her target, not Andy. And if Pryce wanted to use Andy as leverage to get to me, she would have called the hotel by now and told me to give myself up in her place.”

“I guess,” Thomas muttered. “I just worry. I feel like I need to protect you guys.”

Patton let out a laugh that sounded more surprised than amused. “You feel like you need to protect me?”

“I know, it’s dumb.” Thomas said. “You can protect yourself fine on your own. But when I look at you, I don’t see Poison Dart. I just see a dad who got caught up in things he couldn’t handle. Diving headfirst back into this business reminded me of how dangerous it is. I don’t want you to be stuck in it.”

Remy furrowed his brow. What was this about Poison Dart? Remy didn’t recognize that term as anything important. Unless they were talking about frogs. Patton liked frogs. 

Remy wriggled further under the covers. He might as well try to sleep some more.

He drifted off. He wasn’t sure how long he was asleep for, but when he woke again later, sunlight streamed in through the window. He blinked furiously and glanced around. Thomas sat on the other bed, scrolling through his phone. Patton was nowhere to be seen.

Remy pushed himself up so he was sitting. “Where’s Pat?” he croaked.

Thomas looked up. “Oh, you’re awake. Patton’s in the shower. He figured I could watch you.” Thomas stood and walked over to Remy. He crouched next to the bed. “You okay?”

Remy shrugged. “Little spacey, I guess.” His stomach rumbled. “We got any food?”

“You okay with cold leftover pizza?”

“Sounds perfect.” Remy sighed. “What time is it?” he asked as Thomas returned to the bed with a box of pizza.

“Almost noon. You slept for a while.” Thomas set the box down. Remy flipped it open and grabbed a piece of cold pizza. “You were drugged with GHB.”

Remy blinked. “What the hell does that stand for?”

“Gamma-hydroxybutyric acid. They must have given you a pretty big dose.”

Remy took a bite of pizza. “Are the girls back yet?” he asked through a mouthful of food.

“Andy said she and Pryce are gonna be out for a few hours yet.”

Remy nodded. He hoped Andy was okay. He still didn’t trust that bounty hunter.

The sound of the shower shut off. Remy hadn’t even noticed that it had been going.

“Guess Patton’s done.” Thomas stood. “If it’s okay with you, I’m gonna check the perimeter to make sure no one’s found us.”

Remy gave him a thumbs up to show he understood. Thomas passed by the bathroom door, and with a quick knock and an “I’ll be back,” he left.

Remy set his piece of pizza back in the box. He’d gotten something in his stomach, at least. He swung his legs over the side of the bed. If he could at least stand, he would feel a million times better.

He pushed himself to his feet. The room spun, and he found himself back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. He groaned in frustration. Why couldn’t he do something so simple?

He tried to stand. He wobbled on his feet and his vision went fuzzy, but he set a hand on the nightstand to keep his balance.

The bathroom door swung open and Remy looked up. “Rem, you’re up,” Patton said.

Remy couldn’t help but stare at Patton. A towel was wrapped around his waist, but that was all he was wearing. It was impossible to tear his gaze away from Patton as he grabbed his backpack off the floor and rummaged around for some clothes. Remy had never seen Patton shirtless before. He felt his face heat up for some strange reason. Had someone turned the heater on? Why was it suddenly so hot in the room?

His gaze slid over Patton’s shoulders. He stopped as soon as he saw something on the back of Patton’s left shoulder. His blood ran cold.

“Pat.” He pointed to the tattoo on the back of Patton’s shoulder. “What the fuck is that?”

Patton furrowed his brow, clothes tucked under one arm. He opened his mouth, probably to ask what Remy was talking about. Before the words could leave his mouth, his eyes widened, and realization flashed across his face.

Patton smacked his hand over his shoulder to cover it and hurried to the bathroom. “Shit!” he cursed. “Shit, shit, shit!” The door slammed shut.

Remy took a moment to process that this was the first time he’d ever heard Patton say a curse word, and then took another second to register what he just saw. He started for the bathroom. He was a little wobbly on his feet, but he managed to reach the door without falling. His head pounded, but he knocked on the door, ignoring his headache.

“Pat, what the hell was that?” he asked.

The only answer he got was frantic mumbling and the sound of fabric rustling. Remy heard a string of curse words leave Patton’s mouth.

So many questions darted through Remy’s head. He wanted to ask all of them at once, but he didn’t know if he would get answers to any of them.

Remy stepped back as the doorknob turned. The door opened up a crack and Patton peeked out. He opened it a little more. “Sorry about that,” he said, straightening his glasses. He’d put on a t-shirt and a pair of jeans, covering up his shoulder.

Remy wanted to ask something, but his head still spun. “I’m still kinda out of it,” he admitted. “Can we both just... confirm that I saw what I think I saw?”

Patton swallowed, drumming his fingers against the door. He opened it further and tugged the collar of his shirt down. He turned to let Remy see the back of his shoulder.

A heavy weight settled in Remy’s chest as his eyes traced the lines of the tattoo on Patton’s skin. “Am I still dreaming?”

Patton pulled his shirt back over his shoulder. “No, you’re awake.”

Silence fell on the two of them. Patton avoided Remy’s gaze. Remy stared at the wall. He found it hard to process this.

“Please don’t tell anyone,” Patton whispered finally. “Thomas, Andy, and Pryce can’t know. This all happened in the past anyway, but Thomas especially might not like it.”

Remy nodded mutely. He bit his lip, trying to think of something to say.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

Patton stiffened at the question. “It’s complicated. You weren’t even in this business yet when I started in it. I just figured you never asked, so I never told you.”

Remy let that sink in. It made sense. He was just finding this hard to believe.

He stepped away from the door. “I’m... I’m gonna go back to bed.”

He turned and walked back to the bed, still reeling from this information. He paused before he crawled under the covers.

“I won’t tell anyone. I promise.”

*******

Andy usually preferred riding in cars. However, she had to admit that driving a motorcycle was a lot of fun. There was something so freeing about being protected by nothing but the air around her while driving. Sure, if they crashed, death probably couldn’t be more certain, but the risk was exhilarating.

And it certainly helped that there was a pretty girl on the bike with her arms wrapped around Andy’s waist.

But that was just a small bonus. Pryce was infuriating and obnoxious. The fact that she was good-looking was only an objective observation. Still, Andy allowed herself a small moment to enjoy this.

Pryce pointed her to a street to the right, and vehicles around them honked furiously as Andy swerved over to the right lane. She turned down the next street, then pulled over and parked. Their destination was a quaint little store, with a worn out sign above it that said “Fairy Godmother’s Antique Shop”. Through the front window, Andy spotted dozens of little trinkets placed on display.

Andy took off her helmet, and Pryce followed suit. Andy ignored Pryce’s grumbling about the state of her hair and made her way to the door.

A bell above the door chimed as Andy stepped inside. The wallpaper was barely visible under the clocks, photos, and painting hanging on the walls. There were shelves and tables that held things ranging from trays of silverware to old globes to books. Antique chairs and tables were scattered haphazardly around the floor, each one covered in other old trinkets and objects. Sets of wind chimes hung from the ceiling. They rang as the wind from outside jostled them.

A desk sat near the door, nearly obscured by the sheer amount of things in the room. A cash register sat on top of it, and sitting behind it was an older woman with greying black hair. Her pale skin held a trace of wrinkles, but the most pronounced ones were the smile lines around her eyes. A pale pink cardigan rested on her shoulders. She looked up as Andy entered and gave her a smile.

“Welcome,” the woman said, standing up. “Feel free to look around.”

“Sorry, Fae,” Pryce said behind Andy. “We’re not here for shopping.”

“I mean, we can maybe do a little shopping,” Andy suggested. She couldn’t tear her eyes away from the clocks on the walls. Each one displayed a different time and ticked out of sync.

The woman, Fae, grinned. “Pryce, who is this lovely friend of yours?”

Andy felt her face heat up. “Oh, we’re just partners. Work partners, I mean! We’re here on business.”

Fae nodded, but she didn’t look convinced. “Alright. You want to look around at all, or do you want to go straight to your locker?”

“We’ll look around,” Andy said. She shouldered her laptop bag and made her way to a shelf.

Andy examined an old globe sitting next to a stack of books. She marveled at the cracked surface and peeling paint on the wood that held up the globe. She couldn’t help but wonder who made it and who owned it before it had ended up here.

Andy’s gaze drifted over to Pryce. She seemed to be hypnotized by the jewellery on a table and the wind chimes hanging from the ceiling. She gingerly held a gold necklace in her hands, running her thumb over the red jewel pendant as she glanced up at the chimes.

“You like jewellery, Princey?” Andy asked.

Pryce snapped out of her distracted state and looked up. “Oh. Yeah, I’ve looked at the jewellery here before.” She stared at the necklace in her hands. “I don’t buy any of it, though.”

Andy walked over and stood next to Pryce. “Why not?”

Pryce shrugged. “I don’t know, I’m scared I’ll break it. Besides, I’m usually working. I don’t know when I would wear it.”

Andy leaned down to examine the jewellery on the table. A black brooch ringed with pearls caught her eye. “I’ll buy one if you buy one.”

Pryce furrowed her brow. “Why?”

“You look like you want something. Come on, live a little. Buy an old necklace that used to belong to someone who’s probably dead by now.”

Pryce scoffed. “Way to make jewellery depressing.”

Andy reached out and picked up the black brooch. “Well, this is a mourning pin. Someone probably wore it to a funeral. I bet it’s haunted.”

A laugh burst from Pryce’s mouth, and Andy found herself stifling a smile at the sound. “Of course you would know about death jewellery, Hot Topic.” She sighed. “Fine. I’ll buy the necklace if you buy whatever that is.”

“Nice.”

Brooch in hand, Andy made her way over to the desk where Fae sat, skirting around tables and chairs along the way. “Found something you like?” Fae asked.

“Yep.” Andy reached into her pocket and brought out her debit card. “Do you take debit?”

Andy paid for her brooch and stepped aside to let Pryce buy her necklace. Pryce seemed to hesitate as she paid, but the regret drained from her eyes as soon as the purchase was done. She held up the necklace with a satisfied smile.

Andy jabbed her pin through her sweater. “Need help putting that on?”

Pryce blinked as if surprised by the offer, but she held out the necklace. “You better not choke me, Hot Topic.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it, Princey.”

Andy took the necklace and moved behind Pryce. She had to stand on her tiptoes to lower the pendant over Pryce’s throat. Pryce’s hair was short, but Andy still had to brush some of it away from her neck to avoid catching it in the necklace’s clasp. Pryce shivered at the contact. Andy fiddled with the clasp, trying to latch it on. She could faintly smell whatever shampoo Pryce had used back at the hotel.

The clasp latched on and Andy stepped back. “There you go,” she said. Her voice cracked a little at the end of her sentence, and she cleared her throat. Why was she suddenly so embarrassed?

“Thank you,” Pryce said. She didn’t meet Andy’s eyes.

Andy just nodded, ignoring the heat in her face. She turned to Fae. “Uh... can we go to the lockers now?”

Fae, still smirking, gestured to a door behind her desk that Andy hadn’t noticed before. “Just through there. Pryce knows where to go.”

Andy and Pryce went through the door. The room beyond it was nothing like the quaint, cluttered shop they’d gone into. The walls were white and bare. A couple stainless steel tables were set around the room, surrounded by foldable chairs. People crowded the room, most sitting around the tables. Andy didn’t recognize any of them, but she spotted the two-headed snake insignia of Chimera on the back of one’s leather jacket. Two other people wore armbands with orange W’s on them, and a few others donned various accessories and fabric patches that showed which gangs and organizations they were aligned with. Most people in the room lacked an insignia on their clothes, likely independent bounty hunters or assassins. A set of elevator doors stood in the opposite wall. Right next to it was a sign that read “NO SHOOTING OR FIGHTING IN THE BUILDING!”

Pryce made a beeline for the elevator. Andy followed close behind, suddenly feeling a little anxious. She had worked with people like this before, but she’d never actually been in the same room as so many of them at once. She felt like she could get shot in the back at any second, despite the “NO SHOOTING” sign next to the doors.

The elevator doors opened, and Andy nearly jumped out of her skin when a huge white dude in a leather vest that showed off his giant muscles stepped out of the elevator. Andy expected him to glare at her, maybe threaten her, pull a gun on her, do _something_. Instead, he just nodded at Pryce without even glancing at Andy.

Pryce returned the greeting with a smile and a two-fingered salute. “Hey, Jared. How are the kids?”

The man gave her a thumbs up and moved towards the exit. Andy squeaked in surprise when Pryce grabbed her wrist and tugged her into the elevator. Pryce pressed the button for the third floor down.

Andy’s stomach turned from the motion of the elevator moving, but it also could have been from anxiety. “You ready to figure out what Patton’s deal is?”

“Not yet,” Pryce said. “I gotta stop by my locker first. Pick up ammo and weapons. I’ve got some clothes stashed there. Figured I’d pick it up so I don’t have to wear your stuff.”

Andy wanted to argue. She didn’t want to spent any more time in this place than she had to. However, Pryce was right. It would be useful to have more weapons, and Andy would like her Fall Out Boy shirt back.

The elevator stopped and they stepped out. They emerged in a hallway, the walls lined with metal, like they’d stepped into a bunker. Steel doors were embedded in the walls. Pryce walked up to one and fished a set of keys out of her pocket.

“Come on, Hot Topic,” she said, unlocking the door. “Help me pick out a few guns.”

Andy hurried after her. Pryce opened her door and Andy peeked inside. Hanging on the wall to the right were a few sniper rifles. Against the left was a display that held four knives and a few guns. Each weapon must have been custom made, because they were all covered in a golden metal and engraved with red lettering. At the far wall was a large black cabinet.

Andy found herself staring at the hilts of the knives. She wondered how long it had taken to make them and how expensive it was.

Pryce strolled over to the black cabinet and opened the doors. She grabbed a small duffel bag from inside and hoisted it onto her shoulder. “Like the knives?” she asked.

“They are pretty,” Andy observed. She reached out to touch one, but she stopped just shy of the hilt. She probably shouldn’t touch Pryce’s stuff.

Pryce walked up next to Andy and grabbed one of the smaller pistols. She picked up another gun and looked back and forth between the weapons in her hands. “Hey, should I use a revolver or a semi-automatic? I like semis better, but revolvers have a cooler aesthetic.”

“Whichever one you want, Princey.” Andy didn’t know much about guns. All she knew was that bullets went into them and got shot out the other end.

Pryce hummed. She unzipped her duffel bag and shoved both guns inside. “Alright. Let’s go see Patton’s locker.”

“Sounds good to me.”

They went back into the elevator. Pryce pulled out Patton’s keys, and after a quick glance at the tag on the keychain, she hit the button for the fourth floor down. Andy wasn’t sure what exactly she was hoping to see when they went into Patton’s weapons locker. She didn’t know if they would find anything particularly helpful.

However, Andy was curious. She was being given a glimpse into the world of assassins and bounty hunters, and so far, she wasn’t sure if she liked what she saw.

The elevator opened and they stepped into a hallway identical to the last one. Pryce started down the hall but slower this time, glancing up at the numbers on the doors and back at the tag on Patton’s keychain. She and Andy finally stopped in front of a door on the right side of the hall.

“You ready?” Pryce asked.

Andy shifted her laptop bag. “As I’ll ever be.”

Pryce jammed the key in the keyhole and turned it. It unlocked with a click. Pryce and Andy shared a hesitant glance and pushed the door open.

Pryce gasped. “Holy shit!” She strode into the room, turning as she walked to stare at the walls. “This is amazing! Are these all custom made?”

If Andy thought Pryce’s room of weapons had been impressive, it looked like a broom closet compared to this. Dozens of different kinds of weapons hung on the walls. Most were guns, but a shelf pressed against the left wall held an assortment of knives, each with blades of different lengths, edges, and curves. Each weapon in the room was customized to have a matte gradient that faded from orange to blue. The orange and blue backgrounds were decorated with whorls of black, like the skin of the little poison dart frog on Patton’s keychain. Every weapon was covered in a thick layer of dust, muting the bright colours. The tall cabinet at the other end of the room was covered with dust, too, as if it hadn’t been opened in ages.

Pryce reached out to touch one of the sniper rifles, but she stopped short before her fingers made contact. “I don’t know if I want my fingerprints on this,” she muttered.

“Smart choice.” Andy took the key out of the door and shoved it in her pocket. She leaned down to stare at the knives. The hilts were customized to have the same orange and blue design as all the guns, but the blades were all steel. Some were shoved into sheaths, but others were displayed alongside their sheaths to show off the sharpness of the blades. The sight sent a chill up Andy’s spine.

She heard footsteps and glanced back. Pryce had made her way to the cabinet. She grabbed the handles and pulled it open.

Andy walked over to her to peer over her shoulder. The inside was set up like a closet, one metal rung spanning the width of the cabinet and carrying a few hangers with clothes on them. The doors, however, held large pouches that were all labeled with numbers and letters. Storage for gun ammunition, she assumed. On the floor of the cabinet sat a black satchel.

Pryce grabbed one of the hangers off the rung. “Oh, this isn’t just a jacket,” she said, holding it up to give it a once-over. “It’s a whole outfit! Okay, Poison Dart, I see you. Seven out of ten for fashion choice, but ten out of ten for practicality. And overall aesthetics. This guy has a whole look going on.”

Andy reached up and took the sleeve of the jacket hanging off the hanger. The fabric was black, as was the rest of the outfit. However, when she tugged the collar of the jacket aside, she saw that the inside was the same orange and blue gradient with black whorls as the weapons in the room. The torso of the jacket was more stiff than the rest of it, leading her to believe that it was made with some sort of bulletproof or bullet resistant material. A hood hung on the back of it, but attached to it on the inside was a black cloth that Andy assumed was meant to go over the lower half of the wearer’s face. The pants were black, too, but Andy couldn’t place the stiff yet flexible material.

“Not exactly inconspicuous,” Andy observed.

“Yeah, the blue and orange is a little bright.” Pryce set the hanger back in the cabinet and pulled out another one. “This is even less inconspicuous. I get the aesthetic, but isn’t the whole point of being an assassin to blend in and avoid suspicion?”

The outfit Pryce held was similar to the last. The jacket was the same, but it was missing the sleeves. Draped over the hanger under the jacket were wrist and elbow guards with the same orange and blue design.

Andy took one of the elbow guards off the hanger. It felt like it was made of spandex, aside from the part that actually rested over the elbow. That part was hard, but she could easily bend it in her hands. A bunch of tiny bumps were hidden beneath the fabric.

She heard Pryce yelp and looked up. Pryce was holding one of the wrist guards away from her, like it was an animal that tried to bite her. She set the hanger back in the cabinet and turned her full attention to the wrist guard. She pressed down on the part that covered the lower part of the palm. Tiny spikes poked through the fabric next to where she pressed down.

“Pressure activated spikeys,” Pryce whispered. “Sick.”

Andy turned back to the elbow guard. She pressed down on the hard part in the fabric, and little spikes jabbed through the fabric. If anyone got elbowed in the face with this, it would leave some pretty nasty scars.

Andy stared back out at the guns, then back at the clothes in the cabinet. “Everything in this room is designed to kill,” she mumbled as that fact sank in. The person who owned this storage unit was a murderer.

“That’s kinda the point of being an assassin, Hot Topic,” Pryce said.

Andy couldn’t bring her self to respond. This was so odd. She was holding something that someone had used to hurt people before, maybe ten years ago. Who were all the people who had fallen victim to Poison Dart? There were numbers of victims and names of gangs, but she didn’t know a single name of one person.

“Andy?” Pryce said. “You still with me?”

Andy looked up. Pryce was staring down at her, concern etched on her features.

Andy cleared her throat and put the elbow guard back in the closet. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m good.” She turned her gaze down to the black satchel on the cabinet floor. “What’s that?”

Pryce grabbed it and flipped it open. “Oh, I think it’s emergency supplies. Look.”

She tipped the bag towards Andy. Inside the bag was a folded bundle of black clothes and a plastic baggie of cash. In one side of the bag, an orange and blue gun was sheathed next to a pouch of ammunition. A knife was sheathed in the other side of the bag.

“Why wouldn’t he take this if he was going on the run?” Andy asked.

“The bounty, probably,” Pryce said. “He didn’t want to risk coming here and getting caught by someone. Besides, I think he’s been out of this business for a while. He might not even remember or care that he had a locker here.”

Andy took the bag from Pryce’s hands. “Should we take this to him? See if he recognizes it? I want to know if he really is this Poison Dart guy or if it was a lie.”

“Couldn’t hurt to try.” Pryce shouldered her duffel bag. “Let’s get out of here.”

They left the room. Andy took the keychain out of her pocket. The initials on the tag. P.J., didn’t really make sense to her, unless Patton had changed his last name.

She shoved the keychain back in her pocket as they walked back to the elevator. Patton better have some answers for all this.


	28. Girls' Day Part Two: Electric Boogaloo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> D.W. remembers something she thought she'd forgotten.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *gestures to D.W. and Remus* these bad boys can fit so much trauma in them
> 
> WARNINGS: this chapter features a PTSD flashback. there will be a short summary of the chapter at the end in case you need to skip the chapter but still want to know what's going on.

D.W. didn’t know why the hell Janus insisted on adopting another kid to look after, but she couldn’t exactly blame him. He felt guilty about the events that occurred yesterday, and so did D.W. She would do everything she could to make up for it.

Which was why she was driving across the city to Diana Short’s university in order to pick up her stuff, Teal and Magi crammed in the backseat with a variety of weapons on them. D.W. had to admit that she felt a little unnerved having two people in the vehicle with guns on them, but she tried to ignore the prickling feeling at the back of her neck. She could trust Magi and Teal. The fact that they had guns didn’t make them any less trustworthy. D.W. would just… feel a lot _better_ if they had knives instead.

The car was silent as they drove. Diana sat in the passenger seat. She was no longer crying, and was instead completely silent. She stared ahead through the windshield, hardly even moving as D.W. drove them through the city. She looked so much like Patton, D.W. almost thought Patton Hart himself was sitting in the passenger seat every time she looked over. That thought set her on edge. She did not want to be stuck in a vehicle with Patton Hart.

They paused at a stop light and D.W. gave a concerned glance back at Teal and Magi. Both looked equally worried. D.W. could tell why. Diana just seemed blank now. The accident from yesterday must have been hitting her pretty hard.

They arrived on the university campus. D.W. had gotten slightly nervous upon finding out that Diana was going to University of Clawmore. It was the same university D.W. had gone to ages ago. D.W. was anxious to go back there.

D.W. found her stomach turning with anxiety as they drove towards the dorm buildings. She didn’t remember a lot of her time in university. All she knew was that it was a bad time.

D.W. turned to Diana. “Where’s your dorm?”

Diana wordlessly pointed to a tall red building to the left. They drove up to it and parked. “I can come with you to get your stuff,” D.W. offered.

Danny nodded. She still didn’t speak as she opened her car door and stepped onto the pavement.

D.W. turned to look at Magi and Teal as soon as Diana shut her door. “How the hell do I deal with a sad child?”

Teal shrugged. “Console her about the accident, I guess. I don’t know, I don’t have children.”

Magi scratched her head. “I wouldn’t try to bring it up. She’s still processing it. It might just make her feel worse. Maybe just... help her, and make sure she knows you’re there for her?”

D.W. gave them both a disappointed look. “You guys are no help.”

“I’m sure it’ll be fine!” Magi reassured her. “We’ll keep an eye on things out here. You go help her out.”

D.W. left the car and followed Diana to the door of the building. She had to hurry to catch up with her, since Diana was walking way faster than D.W. was used to.

D.W. entered the building and quickened her pace so she was walking next to Diana. “So,” she began, “what classes were you taking here?” She spotted a few students staring at her and avoided their gaze.

Diana shrugged. “Education.”

“Oh, do you want to be a teacher?” D.W. asked as they made their way to the elevator.

“I don’t. My mom wants me to.” Diana pressed the up button.

They fell back into silence as they waited for the elevator. D.W. tried to ignore the stares of the college students around them. It must have been strange to see a grown woman who was very obviously not Diana’s mother accompanying her to the dorms. It probably didn’t help that D.W. was wearing a business suit and didn’t look young enough to be a student. She shouldn’t be here. She scratched at her hip where her leg met her prosthetic.

She and Diana stepped into the elevator as soon as it opened. There were a couple students in there who gave D.W. strange looks as they went out onto the bottom floor. D.W. tried not to stare back.

They reached Diana’s floor. D.W. tried to keep pace with her as they walked to the door to her room. Something about this place felt familiar. Was this D.W.’s old dorm, or had she stayed in a different building? She couldn’t remember. All she knew was that she wanted out of this place as soon as possible.

Diana stopped in front of her door. She paused, staring at it, one hand on the knob, as if she couldn’t bring herself to open it. D.W. understood her hesitation, but just being in this place gave D.W. a bad feeling. She wanted to get this over and done with.

Diana opened the door. The room inside looked like it hadn’t been lived in for long. The two beds were neatly made. The floor was clean, and most of the clothes in the room were tucked away in the suitcases that sat at the ends of the beds. Both closets were shut tight. The desks on each side of the room only held a laptop each and a few tiny trinkets. Despite the fact that she likely wasn’t here for very long, Diana gazed around the room like it was a home she’d lived in for ages.

D.W. waited patiently as Diana began to gather up her stuff. She couldn’t help but feel like she shouldn’t be here. Every instinct in her body was screaming at her to get back in the car and drive away. She just didn’t know why.

D.W. glanced back at the hallway. There weren’t any other students around to stare, thank goodness. Her nerves were still on edge, but at least she didn’t have to deal with people looking at her.

She turned back to the dorm room. Her gaze drifted to the window at the other end of the room. It was open just a little, protected by a screen. Odd. D.W. didn’t remember there being screens over the window in her old dorm. Or was it someone else’s room she was thinking of? She knew at least one of the rooms in this building didn’t have a screen over its window.

“Does the window open any further than that?” D.W. found herself asking. She didn’t know why the words pulled themselves from her lips like that. It was automatic.

Diana tilted her head. “No, I don’t think so. Why?”

D.W. couldn’t help but feel like that was wrong. Wasn’t there a window somewhere in here that opened all the way?

“Are you okay?” Diana asked.

It took D.W. a moment to realize she was rubbing at her hip with the heel of her hand. “I’m fine,” she said. She swallowed. She could have sworn the windows in here opened up further.

_“If she’s not gonna tell us anything, just throw her out the window.”_

_“The windows don’t open far enough.”_

_“Then pry it off!”_

“Ma’am?”

D.W. snapped her head up. Diana stood in front of her, fiddling with the sleeves of her cardigan. The two suitcases stood next to her. “We should probably go now, right?”

D.W. nodded. She took one of the suitcases and dragged it out into the hall after Diana. Something about this place wasn’t sitting right with her. Something was wrong. She looked at Diana out of the corner of her eye and shuddered at how much she looked like Patton. She was finding it hard to believe that she was his niece and not his daughter. They could be identical if she was wearing—

_His black jacket nearly made him blend in with the darkness of the room, but she spotted blue and orange fabric peeking out from the inside of the hood over his head. “If she won’t tell us where Janus is, she’s not useful,” he snapped. “Either push her out the window or let me shoot her.”_

“Miss Chimera!”

D.W. shook her head. She was safe. This wasn’t 2010. This was ten years later. She wasn’t going to get hurt.

A hand tugged her away from the wall. She hadn’t even realized she’d fallen against it.

“Miss Chimera, do you need help?” Diana asked.

D.W. took a moment to process her question. “No, I’m okay. Let’s just go.”

She grabbed the handle of one of the suitcases and continued back to the elevator. A sharp pang lanced through her right hip, like pins and needles were poking through the flesh where her leg would have been. She winced at the feeling, but she tried to ignore it.

_“Fuck it, just push her out the window. She’s not telling us anything anyway.”_

_She struggled against the people holding her, but it was impossible. They wouldn’t let her go._

_Then she was falling._

D.W. set a hand on the wall to steady herself, but she didn’t know why there was a wall there. She was falling. But her feet were on the ground. Or, at least, her left foot was. She couldn’t feel her right foot, or her entire right leg, for that matter. She was standing, but only one of her feet were on the ground, but she felt like she was falling.

The sensation stopped and the world became steady again. Elevator doors opened in front of her. “Come on, ma’am,” Diana Short said.

D.W. let Diana guide her out of the elevator. She could have sworn she was falling, but that didn’t explain how she was walking at the same time. And why couldn’t she feel her leg?

She lost her leg ten years ago, she reminded herself. She had a prosthetic now. That was why. It was nothing new.

She hardly noticed when Diana led her out of the building. Footsteps ran towards her, and a pair of hands grabbed her arms. “D.W.?” Teal asked. “Are you okay?”

“She looks like she’s spacing out for something,” Magi said.

Teal cursed under her breath. “I don’t know all the counseling bullshit my brother does. Should we call him?”

D.W. swallowed. “No, I’m good,” she managed. She didn’t need help. No one could help her. She was falling. Someone pushed her out the window.

“I’ll drive,” Magi said. The suitcase was taken from D.W.’s hand. “Come on, Miss Short, let’s get your stuff in the car.”

Teal gently pulled D.W. over to the car. D.W. walked after her, confused as to how she was walking because she _should_ be falling.

Then she was in a car. She blinked. She hardly felt the seat beneath her, and her right hip still stung. She still couldn’t feel her right leg. It should have been there. Why wasn’t it there?

“Hey Logan,” Teal’s voice said. “D.W.’s having some issues and I don’t know how to fix it. She’s all spaced out.” A pause. “No, she’s not sick. She would have told us if she was, and she was fine this morning.” Teal shut the car door. “I didn’t go into the dorm with them, so I don’t know. She used to go to school here, though. She always said she didn’t remember much from her time here. I thought she might have some sort of university related trauma and I think that’s coming back to figuratively bite her in the ass. I don’t know for sure, though.”

Two more car doors swung shut. D.W. felt herself moving again, and panic gripped her heart. She was still falling. She was going to die.

Someone took her hand. “Hey, you’re okay,” Teal said. “We’re driving back to Chimera. We’re going to be okay.”

_“She’s not going to tell us where Janus Chimera is. There’s nothing we can do.”_

_A voice heaved an exaggerated, frustrated sigh. Someone stepped into view. The lower part of his face was hidden by fabric, but his eyes were visible. He glared at her. She heard a click as he loaded his pistol. Her heart skipped a beat when he aimed it at her head._

_“Stop wasting my time. Where’s Janus?”_

D.W. winced as pain shot through her leg. No, they couldn’t go to Chimera. She would be placing Janus right in the hands of Poison Dart.

D.W. blinked one, then twice. But wasn’t that Patton Hart? Wasn’t that the person in the passenger seat of the car she was in? She shouldn’t be in a car right now. She should be falling. She felt like she was. Why wasn’t she falling?

She felt Teal’s hand squeeze hers. “How do you feel?” she asked.

D.W. looked up to see Teal sitting in the backseat of the car with her. She hadn’t even noticed that Teal had buckled both of their seatbelts. A phone was tucked between Teal’s ear and shoulder. She must have called her brother.

“I feel like I’m falling,” D.W. managed. “And my leg hurts. Are we being followed? Is anyone going to find Janus?”

“Janus isn’t in danger,” Teal assured her. “No one is following us. Magi and I were keeping an eye out for anyone suspicious while you and Diana were in the building. We made sure we were safe.”

D.W. nodded. She trusted Teal. If Teal said they were safe, they were safe.

Teal squeezed her hand again, and D.W. tightened her grip on Teal’s hand. She faintly heard Logan’s voice talking through Teal’s phone. Teal’s other hand rested on D.W.’s shoulder. The feeling was reassuring.

“Just relax, Dee,” Teal said. “We’ll be back home in a few minutes.”

D.W. tried to focus on the feeling of Teal’s hand in hers. They would be fine. They were almost home. They would be safe once they were away from here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Summary: D.W., Teal, and Magi accompany Diana Short to her university so she can pick up her things. D.W. realizes that it's the same university she used to attend, and that sets her on edge. Upon entering Diana's dorm room to help her gather her things, D.W. sees the window in the room and gets the feeling that something is off. As she and Diana make their way back to the car, D.W. has a brief on-and-off flashback about her time in university over ten years ago, when she was pushed out of a window by Patton Hart back when he was known as Poison Dart. D.W. doesn't remember much more than that. As they drive back to Chimera, Teal sits in the backseat with D.W. to help calm her down.


	29. I Have No Idea Where I Am, Someone Help Please

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Janus is worried about Logan, but he's more concerned about D.W. Meanwhile, Remus is having problems remembering where he is. Janus decides to help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING!!! this chapter contains mentions and implications of PTSD and intrusive thoughts. it also contains dissociation, implications of past child abuse, mentions of smoking, and non-graphic mild self harm in the form of scratching and skin picking. there is no blood and it's very brief. Remus also plays with a lighter but no one gets harmed with it. there will be a summary in the end note in case anyone wants to skip the chapter.

While Logan was busy on the phone, Janus finished up his work and left a detailed email for Magi so she would know what she had to take care of when she returned. The current issue with that bounty hunter D.W. spoke to was something he wasn’t sure how to handle yet. Considering he wasn’t going to be at the office often, he figured it would be best if Magi was filled in on the situation of Poison Dart’s identity. He’d emailed Emile Picani informing him of the decision and asking him to explain things to Magi. Luckily, Emile didn’t question it and agreed to provide an explanation.

Janus crammed his important documents into his suitcase. As an afterthought, he tossed a pistol and a knife in with the papers, just in case of another emergency. He was ready to go back home, but he would wait for D.W. to return. He didn’t want to leave only for her to wonder where he’d gone.

The door across the room swung open and Logan strode into Janus’s office, cell phone in hand. “There was a mild problem at Miss Short’s university,” he said with a frustrated huff.

A spike of concern shot through Janus. “Is everyone alright?”

“Yes, I assume so.” Logan shoved his phone back into his pocket and straightened his tie. “Physically, at least. Judging from Teal’s description of the events, if appears that D.W. has had a sort of panic attack.”

“Oh dear,” Janus whispered. He didn’t know that D.W. still had those.

“What university does Diana Short attend?” Janus asked.

“University of Clawmore,” Logan answered. “Why?”

Of _course_ it had to be that university. The one thing Janus thought would go off without a hitch today, and it had to end up like this. “D.W. doesn’t have a good history with that school. She used to go there ten years ago, when she just joined Chimera.”

Logan’s eyes widened in realization. “If my memory is correct, which it always is, that is the same time of the Poison Dart Massacre, am I right?”

Janus nodded. “The height of Poison Dart’s career. She had a run in with him back when I was his target.”

Logan scratched his chin thoughtfully. “Teal said D.W. might have some sort of university related trauma.” He shook his head. “I had no idea.”

“Most people don’t.” Janus shut his briefcase with a click. “It’s related to a secret held between the three heads of Chimera in this area. Emile, D.W., and I are the only ones who know of it. Well, and Dice Critique from Sidehill, but we don’t like to talk to him much. The man is too much of a gossip to keep a secret well.”

Logan’s expression stiffened. “Oh. I didn’t know that.”

Janus bit his lip. Logan didn’t like to be left out of things when it came to their jobs, but this was something Janus couldn’t disclose to him. It involved Patton, and since Logan knew Patton, it was imperative that it remained a secret. And now that nearly everyone else knew Patton’s name due to the humungous bounty on his head, keeping Poison Dart’s identity a secret was even more important.

“I wish I could tell you, Moonlight,” Janus said. “I really do. But this is something we’ve been trying to keep under wraps for ten years. I can’t talk about our past with Poison Dart.”

Logan pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. “I understand. I won’t pry, then.” He still seemed a little stiff, however. This topic wasn’t going to be dropped fully. Logan might not say anything about it for a while, too afraid to bring it up again, but Janus would have to start the conversation later.

“Thank you, darling.” Briefcase in hand, Janus walked over to Logan and planted a kiss on his cheek. “I love you. I don’t know if I say that enough.”

The barest trace of a smile twitched across Logan’s lips. “You say it every time you see me.”

“Then it’s still not enough.” Janus kissed Logan on the lips, and he didn’t miss the way Logan’s lips curved into a grin at the contact.

A voice snickered from the doorway. “Get a room.”

Logan and Janus pulled apart to see Roman walking back into Janus’s office, a notebook tucked under his arm. Janus tried to speak, but he spluttered as the words caught in his throat. This kid had been crying in his blanket fort two days ago, and now he was... saying things like that?

Janus watched Roman disappear into the blanket fort. “Close your mouth, honey,” Logan said. “You’ll catch flies.”

“Did he make a joke?” Janus asked incredulously.

“Yes. Roman may be sensitive, but he gets attached easily. If he’s already joking around with you, he likes you.” Logan turned to the door. “We should go wait for the girls in the parking lot. We’ll go home as soon as D.W.’s back.”

Janus heard rustling within the blanket fort. Roman re-emerged from the mess of fabric. Behind him, Remus shuffled out, clutching his sweater tightly around his shoulders. A bit of concern wormed its way into Janus’s head when he saw Remus blankly staring at the floor. He hadn’t known the kid for very long, but he was pretty sure that Remus being quiet wasn’t normal.

Virgil crawled out of the fort with a yawn. He rubbed his eyes and straightened. He looked like he wanted to say something, but instead, he dug his phone from his pocket and typed something. He held the screen up to Janus.

_Are we going soon?_

“As soon as D.W. gets back, we’ll be on our way,” Janus answered. “We’ll go wait in the parking lot for them.”

Virgil nodded and put his phone back in his pocket. He followed Roman and Remus to the door.

The group walked out into the parking lot just as D.W.’s car pulled up and parked. Janus spotted Magi in the driver’s seat, and he rushed for the car as the doors swung open.

Teal opened the door to the backseat. “D.W., Jan’s here,” she said. “Come on.”

Janus waited impatiently, tugging on the chain of his necklace as Teal stepped out of the back seat. She coaxed someone else out with her.

D.W. left the car. She glanced around the parking lot frantically, as if she was scared they had been followed. Dorothy being afraid was something Janus hadn’t seen in years. When she was scared, there was often a good reason.

However, this was pure, irrational panic. And he wanted to help her.

Janus set his briefcase down and stepped towards her. “Dorothy, are you okay?”

D.W. nodded. “Are you?”

“I’m perfectly fine.” He gently set a hand on her arm. She grabbed his hand and held it there, fingers curling tightly around the fabric of his glove as if it was the last time she would ever touch him.

“We’re going to go home,” Janus said. “Miss Sailor, I’ve sent you an email detailing your tasks to take care of for the day. You’ll need to be on the phone with Dr. Picani-Chimera for a while. Considering current developments, I believe it would be best if you were filled in on what’s going on. I’ve given him permission to tell Miss Minder as well if you feel it’s necessary, since she’s been helping you in the office during our absence. Just make sure that word about the situation doesn’t get out. I don’t want a mass panic on our hands.”

Magi raised her hand in a salute. “Sure thing, boss.”

“We can certainly handle that,” Teal said. She and Magi both made their way to the building, but Magi didn’t leave before rushing up to D.W. and giving her a quick side hug.

Diana Short tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and rocked back and forth on her feet. “So, are we going?”

The drive home was relatively silent. Janus drove home with D.W. Virgil, oddly enough, insisted (through the notes of his phone instead of speaking) that he ride with Janus and D.W. instead of sitting with the other kids in Logan’s car. Janus wasn’t sure why at first, but Virgil’s intentions became clear when he gently guided D.W. to sit in the backseat with him. The kid had more experience helping others deal with anxiety than Janus thought.

While driving, Janus risked a couple glances in the rear view mirror to look in the backseat every once in a while. Virgil held one of D.W.’s hands in his own and squeezed it periodically, prompting her to squeeze back to give her something to focus on. He’d dug through his backpack and found that stuffed cat he’d latched onto after his meltdown the day before. He’d placed it in D.W.’s lap. D.W. seemed to find the gesture amusing. A smile played on her lips as she pet the stuffed animal’s fur with her free hand. Janus was beyond relieved that Virgil had been able to help her, at least a little bit.

Janus parked in the driveway and opened up the back door for D.W. and Virgil. D.W. handed Virgil’s cat back to him. “Thanks kid,” she said softly. She ruffled his hair and stepped out of the car.

Janus set a hand on her shoulder. “Are you feeling okay?”

“More or less. I don’t feel like I’m going to die anymore, at least.” She took his hand and gave it a squeeze. “Let’s go inside.”

Janus shut the car door as soon as Virgil was out. “Thank you, Virgil,” he said.

Virgil just shrugged in response. He hefted his backpack and hurried off to the house with his stuffed cat in his arms. Janus and D.W. followed, hand in hand, as Logan’s car pulled into the driveway.

Once they were inside, D.W. went off upstairs to change out of her work clothes. Virgil sat on the couch and dug his phone out of his pocket, seemingly content to lounge there for the time being. Roman and Diana walked through the door, each of them with one of Diana’s suitcases. Logan and Remus entered last and shut the door behind them.

Logan went for the dining room to go upstairs. “Miss Short, our guest rooms are this way. Roman, if you could kindly help take her luggage up the stairs, I would appreciate it. I don’t know how much I can carry with my wound hindering my movement.”

“Sure thing, nerd.” Roman gestured for Diana Short to follow him and Logan.

Remus flopped down on the couch next to Virgil. Janus was still a little unnerved by Remus’s lack of usual excitement or flair, but he left it alone. He was sure nothing was wrong.

He later realized that maybe he shouldn’t have left Remus alone.

*******

Remus didn’t know what was going on, but he didn’t like it.

He didn’t catch much from anyone’s conversations before and during the ride home. In fact, he couldn’t even remember getting in the car and riding back to Janus’s place. All he knew was that the woman in their group was upset, and that scared him.

He sat perfectly still on the couch. He didn’t dare move. Not even when Logan shut the door and he got the urge to check the locks. Not even when he noticed that one of the windows was slightly open and he wanted to sprint over to it and slam it shut before someone came in and killed them all. Not even when a thought popped into his head suggesting that he whirl around and bash Virgil’s head in without reason.

No, Remus didn’t move a muscle. He refused to. He didn’t want to get in trouble.

He should have known their time with Patton wouldn’t last. They were tossed back and forth between a dozen foster homes. Why did he think that would stop when some random guy took them in? Of course he would get sick of Remus’s habits eventually.

It was a shame, too. Patton was one of the nicer ones. Sure, he didn’t restrain Remus or scream at him or lock him in dark cupboards like their old foster parents had, but Remus should have guessed that he would grow tired of the three of them and pass them along to someone else.

One good thing about staying with Patton was that there were no foster mothers. No scary moms who only went into the foster system because they wanted a perfect white child and were disappointed when they got a Hispanic kid who pressed light switches too much. No angry women who interrupted his rambling about his thoughts by screaming that he was possessed by the Devil and would go to Hell if he kept talking about those things. With Patton, no one tied his wrists to tables to keep him from flicking the light switches. No one made him go to church every Sunday if he didn’t want to.

Best of all, Patton didn’t smoke. Sure, Remy smoked, but Remus only saw him do it once. He did it outside on the lawn, and when Virgil sheepishly told Remy that he couldn’t stand the smell of smoke, Remy never brought a cigarette out in their presence again. That surprised Remus, but he was grateful for it. He hadn’t expected him to actually care.

Remy wasn’t like their last foster mother. Neither was Patton. Remus could live with that.

But now, everything had changed. Just when Remus had gotten used to living with Patton, when he thought maybe this one was different, Patton had left them to someone else. Remus felt stupid, like he’d fallen for some trick. He never should have allowed himself to get comfortable.

He felt himself moving, as if someone else was moving his body, and then he was outside. He hadn’t been in the backyard of Mr. Chimera’s house yet. He wanted to appreciate how big it was and how many flowers were planted in the dirt around the edges of the deck, but it was hard to appreciate anything right now. Not when he felt so... absent.

He sat on the steps of the deck and stared out at the backyard. This was a nice house. Better than most of the ones he’d ended up in. It was a pity he probably wouldn’t be staying in it for more than a year. Roman would surely be upset when they ended up in another foster home. Virgil would have a hard time adjusting. Remus would protect them both as best he could when that happened.

But he just had to focus on the place they were in right now. He had to get a read on the foster parents, figure out what they would do when they got mad, just how far they were going to go to keep Remus and Virgil from engaging in their weird habits, what lengths they would go to in order to make the three of them “normal.” He was the youngest out his brothers, but it was his responsibility to make sure no one hurt Virgil and Roman.

A sharp pain shot through his arm. He grimaced and took his hand away from his sleeve. He hadn’t realized he’d been scratching again. Virgil always tried to get him to stop, but it was a habit.

Remus rolled up his sleeve. The one scab he’d been picking at was small, and it seemed to be the only one that hadn’t healed yet. He thought he’d stopped scratching at them a month ago. It seemed like that habit was back.

He kept picking at it until it was gone. The skin beneath it didn’t bleed. It must have been close to healing. There wasn’t much for him to pick at.

With nothing else to do, he reached into his sweater pocket and brought out his lighter. It was a small cigarette lighter, one that he’d snitched from Remy out of curiosity a while ago. He flicked it on, watching the flame dance before he blew it out. He did that five more times, counting in his head as he did so. On the last one, he left the lighter on and stared at the little flame.

“Remus?”

Remus jumped and whirled around. Mr. Chimera stood on the deck, looking down at him with confusion. Remus wanted to blow out the flame, but then if he wanted it back, he’d have to flick it on and blow it out six times again. He didn’t want to start over.

But he wasn’t allowed to have lighters. Mother would kill him if she saw that he’d stolen one of the ones she kept in her bedside table.

He quickly waved out the flame and shoved the lighter back in his pocket, ignoring a little thought that urged him to set fire to Mr. Chimera’s shirt. “Hi,” he said. He tried to keep his voice from shaking. He hoped Mr. Chimera hadn’t seen the lighter. He didn’t want him to go tell Mother.

Then Mr. Chimera was sitting next to him on the steps. Remus tensed, waiting for the yelling and the screaming and the burning and the—

A hand touched his shoulder and he shrieked. He smacked a hand over his mouth to stifle it. Mother didn’t like when he screamed.

“Sorry, sorry,” Mr. Chimera frantically babbled. “I shouldn’t have touched you without asking. I apologize. I just wanted to see if you were okay.”

Remus looked up. Mr. Chimera was crouched on the step below him, fiddling with a necklace that Remus hadn’t noticed before.

“I noticed that you were quieter than usual today,” Mr. Chimera said. “I came out here to do some gardening, but... I’d like to know if you’re alright.”

Remus blinked. Their foster parents never wanted to know if he was okay. What kind of game was this guy playing?

“Why?” Remus managed. He scratched at his arm.

Janus blinked. “Because I care about your wellbeing. You are under my care, so I would like to make sure you’re feeling well.”

This was a trick, Remus was sure. He was luring Remus into a false sense of security so he could tell Mother that he took a lighter and get him in trouble. Remus wouldn’t fall for it.

“I’m fine.” Remus dug his nails into the spot on his arm that he’d picked at. He winced at the pain.

Mr. Chimera furrowed his brow. Remus’s heart pounded. Oh no, he’d upset Mr. Chimera, hadn’t he? What was he going to do now?

Mr. Chimera lifted his sunhat to scratch at his head. “Remus, I know you’re lying. And I don’t blame you for it. I often insist that I’m alright when I’m not. But it appears that you’re very distressed, and I don’t know how to help.”

Help? Why would he want to help? He was going to punish Remus for having a lighter. Why was he putting it off? Why didn’t he do something already? Why was he stalling?

“I’m not upset,” Remus said. He scratched harder at his skin. “I’m just tired.”

“I don’t believe you, but...” Mr. Chimera shrugged. “I digress. If you don’t want to tell me what the problem is, I won’t push. However, if there’s anything you need, anything that might help, you can tell me if you want to. I don’t mind helping you.”

No. No, this was a trick. Their last foster dad did this sometimes. He said he could help, and then when Remus told him what was wrong, he would get dragged to Mother and locked up in a dark closet. Maybe Mr. Chimera would bribe him with promises of ice cream or candy and then start yelling the moment Remus admitted what he did. It wouldn’t be the first time that happened. Either way, Remus was going to get punished, and he wanted to avoid it if he could.

Then Remus was hit with a question that he didn’t know how to answer.

“Remus, do you know where you are?”

Remus stared at the grass. He paused in his scratching, and he was suddenly aware of how sore the skin on his arm was. There was nothing to pick, so he’d just been clawing away at nothing, leaving the skin red and raw. He thought about the question.

“New foster home,” he answered finally. That was the only logical answer.

“Do you know what year it is?”

Remus swallowed. That was easy. It was... 2016? 2017?

Mr. Chimera held out a hand, but he stopped before he could touch Remus. “May I take your hand, Remus?”

Remus didn’t want to make Mr. Chimera mad, so he placed his palm on Mr. Chimera’s. He squeezed Remus’s hand lightly. The fabric of his glove actually felt nice on Remus’s skin. Mr. Chimera gently held Remus’s hand with both of his.

“It is early September in 2020,” Mr. Chimera said. “You are not in a foster home. You have a father, Patton Hart. He’s left you and your brothers with me and D.W. so we can take care of you temporarily, like babysitters. It’s not permanent. He will be back. I’m not a foster parent. Neither is D.W. We’re not going to punish you if you do things wrong. We’re here to make accommodations for you, not the other way around. You’re not in the foster system. Whatever happened when you were stuck in foster homes is all in the past.”

Remus blinked. That... sounded familiar. Was that right? Was Mr. Chimera telling the truth?

Remus gave Mr. Chimera’s hand a squeeze. Right. This wasn’t a new foster parent. This was just some weird friend of Patton’s that was supposed to be taking care of them for a while. There was nothing to be afraid of. He wasn’t a foster parent. Just a babysitter. Kind of like Remy. Or Logan.

Remus tugged his hand out of Mr. Chimera’s grasp. He still felt a little spacey, but at least he knew where he was, sort of. “Thanks, Mr. Chimera.”

Mr. Chimera smiled. “You can call me Janus if you’d like.”

Janus. It was an interesting name. Kind of cool, but also kind of dorky. A bit like Janus himself, who sat there on the steps with his crooked sunhat and equally crooked smirk.

“Sounds good, Janus,” Remus said, testing out the name.

Janus stood. “Do you still need help, Remus? D.W. has episodes similar to these, so if you need anything else, I’m prepared to help.”

Remus shook his head. He didn’t want to waste any more of Janus’s time. “I’m good. Thanks.”

Janus grabbed a tray of unplanted flowers off the deck. “Well, I do still need to plant some flowers in the greenhouse. The time for an outside garden has more or less passed, and I would like to keep some plants alive in the winter. I could use some assistance planting them if you’re up for it. If you want to, that is. I have an extra shovel.”

Remus stared at him. Remus was never invited to do things like that with any of his foster parents.

But this wasn’t a foster parent, he reminded himself. Janus was just helping out. Being friendly. Doing his job.

Besides, Remus really wanted to play outside.

“You sure I won’t get in the way?” he asked hesitantly.

“Absolutely.” Janus started across the yard, where a tall greenhouse sat waiting. “Would you like some gardening gloves?”

Remus almost laughed as he followed Janus. “No. I don’t need a shovel either. You can find more worms when you use your hands.”

Janus actually did laugh at that, a loud, unashamed expression of happiness that sounded so much like Patton in a strange way. Remus couldn’t hold back a smile at that thought.

Remus may have still been a little scared. He may have still been nervous that Janus was going to suddenly change his tune and start shouting at Remus for having a lighter. He may have flinched every time Janus moved too quick while planting a flower or picking up his shovel. He may have still gotten a little spaced out, a little confused as to where he was when he found himself thinking too much about his old foster parents.

But Janus was oddly patient. He would slow his movements when he noticed Remus’s fear. He asked where Remus had gotten the lighter and praise him for being able to steal it right from someone’s pocket (it was a useful skill, Janus said, if not entirely legal). He let Remus dig into the dirt with his hands and hold flowers before they were planted. He snapped Remus back to reality by talking about each kind of flower and the symbolism behind them before placing a flower in his hands.

And although Remus missed Patton and Remy, he had to admit that Janus wasn’t a bad babysitter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Janus decides to contact Emile Picani and ask him to tell Magi and Teal about the situation with Patton Hart, since Janus can't handle the issue himself being out of the office so often. Logan expresses mild distress at being left out of the issue, but he disregards his own feelings. D.W. returns to the bank, still upset, and Virgil sits in the backseat of the car with her to help calm her down as Janus drives back home. Once they arrive at Janus's place, Remus is still mildly dissociated and starts thinking that he's still in the foster system, unable to remind himself that he's physically safe. He goes into the backyard in an attempt to clear his head. He has a habit of picking at the scabs on his arms, and he does so without even realizing it. Janus finds him and helps Remus back to reality after noticing that Remus dissociates much in the same way D.W. does. Janus invites Remus to help him plant flowers in his greenhouse. Remus concludes that he still misses Patton, but Janus isn't so bad.


	30. It's Not A Date, We're Just Business Partners

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Andy and Pryce decide to wait before telling Patton about what they found. Patton is afraid that Remy is still upset with him. Things go downhill quick for all of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i apologize in advance for this chapter
> 
> also, i finally added this story to a series, because it's guaranteed that i'm going to write a Remus-centric sequel. Remus stans, come get y'all juice

Pryce stared intently at her compact mirror as she fixed her hair. “So, Hot Topic, where to next? Back to the hotel?”

Andy’s grip was tight on the strap of the satchel over her shoulder. She was itching to return to the others, but oddly enough, she wanted to stay out with Pryce for a little while longer. Maybe she was just nervous about confronting Patton.

“Why don’t we grab some lunch?” Andy suggested as she sat on the motorbike. “We’re already out here. Might as well.”

Pryce snapped her mirror shut. “Hmm. Sure. But we’re not going to one of your weird fast food places. I’ll take you to a restaurant. There’s a nice one on Front Street.”

Andy raised a brow. “I don’t think I can afford anything too nice.”

Pryce waved a hand dismissively as she sat behind Andy. “Oh, I’ll cover the bill. Don’t worry.”

Andy tried not to show her surprise at that. She didn’t think Pryce would want to pay for anything.

Andy put her helmet on. “Then let’s go, Princey.”

It didn’t take long to get to Front Street. Andy almost wished the ride was longer. She had to admit, she enjoyed driving Remy’s bike, especially with someone sitting behind her with their hands around her waist. It made for a pretty romantic scene. Or, it _would_ be romantic if any other girl but Pryce was the one behind her. Andy didn’t like Pryce, obviously.

They parked along the sidewalk again and Pryce gestured to the restaurant with a flourish. “The finest diner in all of Sidehill.” She hopped off the bike and took off her helmet.

Andy followed suit. Surprisingly, the diner didn’t look that impressive. Andy had been expecting to see a big, fancy restaurant, not a quaint diner.

“Wow, Princey,” Andy said with a smirk. “I would have thought you’d take me somewhere extravagant. Don’t you know how to treat a lady?”

Pryce’s face flushed at that. Andy was silent as she realized that her joke implied that Pryce was taking her on a date.

Andy cleared her throat and ignored the growing heat in her cheeks. “Let’s go get a table.”

They walked side by side to the door. A bell above the door chimed as they stepped over the threshold. The inside of the diner was dimly lit with soft white strings of lights that hung from the ceiling. The space was a bit cramped with the amount of tables scattered around the floor. Paintings hung on the walls, and each one was so abstract that Andy couldn’t decipher what the hell they were supposed to be pictures of. Red plaid tablecloths covered each table. All the strange decorations gave this place a weird atmosphere, like it couldn’t decide what aesthetic it was going for. Only a few of the tables were occupied.

Pryce sat down at a table. Andy sat across from her. “Don’t be freaked out by the art stuff,” Pryce said. “This place has the loveliest food in the entire city.”

Andy raised an eyebrow at a painting that looked like it could either be a squid or a pineapple. “I’ll take your word for it.”

“What can I get for you ladies?”

Andy jumped at the voice and looked up. A waiter stood at their table, a smile on his face and a notepad in his hand. He had a couple menus tucked under his arm.

“I’ll get a Long Island iced tea,” Pryce said. “Andy, what drink would you like?”

Andy hesitated as the waiter placed their menus in front of them. What options were there? Was she supposed to get something alcoholic like Pryce, or would it be okay if she just got water? Would someone judge her if she ordered chocolate milk? Did they even have chocolate milk here?

Andy opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. It had been so long since she’d gone to a restaurant. She didn’t know what to say.

“She’ll have a water,” Pryce said. “Thank you, sir.”

The waiter left and Andy breathed a sigh of relief. She really needed to get out more. Maybe that would keep her from being so anxious in public.

Pryce furrowed her brow in concern. “Andy, are you okay?”

Andy nodded. She didn’t want to worry Pryce. “Yeah, I’m good. Just haven’t been out in a while.”

“You were fine with Fae.”

“That was different,” Andy muttered, tugging on her sweater strings. “She’s in our line of work, and I didn’t have to talk to anyone else. I’m usually behind a screen. I don’t get out in the real world that much.”

Pryce smiled softly. “Well, then I’ll order for you so you don’t have to talk. Let me know what you want.” She flipped open her menu and scanned the pages.

Andy blinked at Pryce, dumbfounded. Since when did Pryce care about Andy?

Andy averted her gaze. “Thanks,” she mumbled.

She started flipping through her menu. She didn’t see any familiar foods. She didn’t even know what half of this stuff was.

“There might be more stuff on the appetizers page,” Pryce said quietly.

Andy flipped back to the first page in the menu. Sure enough, there were a few things Andy vaguely recognized.

“I’ll just get some fries,” Andy said. She shut her menu and set it on the table, decidedly done with trying to figure out what she wants. This is exactly why she didn’t go out to eat, especially on dates. It was so stressful.

Pryce set down her own menu. “Are you okay, Andy? You seem tense.”

Andy ran a hand through her hair. “It’s just been a while since I’ve been out. It’s fine.”

“We can go,” Pryce offered. “We can eat back at the hotel.”

Andy shook her head. She wasn’t ready to confront Patton about his past yet. “I’m good here.”

Andy still didn’t know why Pryce looked so concerned. She was tempted to ask, but the waiter swept back in with a platter that held two glasses on it. He placed one in front of Pryce and one in front of Andy. “Any food I can get for you?” he asked.

“We’ll get a basket of fries and a platter of garlic biscuits,” Pryce said, folding up both menus and handing them to the waiter. “Thank you.”

As soon as the waiter left, Andy breathed a small sigh of relief. She didn’t know why she was so stressed all of a sudden. Maybe it was just the anxiety of being on the run with Patton Hart. Speaking of which, she decided she probably shouldn’t drink her water. It could have been poisoned or drugged, after all.

Pryce didn’t seem to have the same concerns. “So, Andy, you don’t get out in the field much?” She took a sip of her drink.

Andy shook her head. “No. All my work is behind the scenes.”

“How often do you get outside?”

Andy thought about that one. “Maybe... once every couple weeks? Maybe more if I have to change locations in the city.”

Pryce gaped at her. “Girl, you’re a hermit? You just don’t leave your house?”

“No, not really, if I have a house at the time. I’ll hide out with Thomas sometimes if I have to, but I don’t really go out unless I’m desperate for food or a place to stay.”

“Damn.” Pryce stirred her drink with her finger. “What kinds of jobs do you normally run?”

Andy shrugged. “Simple hacking shit. It doesn’t usually take much effort, and it pays well. I take a few bigger jobs if I’m low on cash.”

“That’s how I like to work too,” Pryce said. “Low effort stuff for more money. But why did you decide on hacking?”

“Always had a knack for technology, I guess. I started out doing small hacking stuff for people who knew me and were willing to pay, but I got swept into the business after I dropped out of school.”

“You dropped out?” Pryce sounded astonished. “Why? I would have thought you’d be great at school.”

Andy scoffed. “The school system doesn’t exactly accommodate for kids with anxiety, Princey. Failed almost all my exams and dropped out as soon as I turned sixteen.”

“Damn,” Pryce said. “So how’d you meet Sunglasses? How long have you known him?”

“Remy’s a bit of a long story.”

Pryce shrugged and leaned back in her chair. “We’ve got time.” She looked up. “Oh, food’s here.”

Their waiter swept by the table and placed a couple plates between them. As soon as he left, Andy raised a brow at the food. “Fast service.”

“We only got appetizers,” Pryce said, plucking a fry off Andy’s plate. “Besides, business is slow here. Anyway, you and Sunglasses?”

Andy sighed. She didn’t often talk to people about her life. What if she started rambling? Or, worse yet, what if she stumbled over her words while telling the story?

She decided to keep it short. “I met him over MySpace when I was thirteen.”

Pryce furrowed her brow. “Wait, how old was he at the time?”

“I dunno, like twenty-something? In fairness, I didn’t tell him I was a kid until years after we started talking. Actually, I didn’t really tell him, he just found out.”

“How’d he find out?”

So trying to keep the story short apparently didn’t work. “Okay,” Andy started, “At school, I mostly forged notes and paperwork so I didn’t have to ask my parents to do shit, so instead of putting my mom’s number for the parent contact, I may have put Remy’s number instead. It’s not my fault I trusted him more than my own damn parents.”

Pryce’s eyes widened as she munched on a garlic biscuit. “Don’t tell me the school called him instead of your parents.”

“They did. I got in trouble because I told the teacher my parents said I didn’t have to do a presentation in front of the class. They called Remy instead and he pretended to be my big brother to get shit sorted out with the principal. He sort of became like an actual big brother to me after that. Or a weird uncle. Kind of both.”

Pryce chuckled and shook her head. “That’s quite a story.”

“I guess.” Andy bit into a fry. “Question for you: how did you end up as a bounty hunter?”

Pryce’s expression stiffened slightly, and Andy immediately felt bad for asking. “Sorry, but you have to be a level five friend to unlock my tragic backstory.” Pryce tilted her glass back and chugged half of her drink. She set it back on the table. “How I got into this business isn’t something I like to talk about.”

Andy was curious, but she didn’t question Pryce further. “Okay. Sorry for asking.”

“You just wanted to know. Nothing to apologize for.” Pryce rested her chin on her hand. “So, what was your first hacking job?”

“Well...”

The two of them talked for a while. Their conversation went everywhere, from Andy’s job to Pryce’s family to weird things they did as kids. Pryce nearly choked on her drink when Andy told her about the time she almost got Remy arrested at a petting zoo. Andy found herself laughing as Pryce dramatically recounted a time she had teamed up with a group of bounty hunters and gotten caught up in a circus performance. Andy was pretty sure most of it was exaggerated, but it was entertaining nonetheless. Pryce really had a way with words.

Throughout the meal, Andy found herself listening intently to Pryce’s stories. She liked the way Pryce’s eyes lit up when she said something particularly exciting or dramatic. Pryce’s bright white smile was infectious, and her enthusiastic gestures brought her words to life. Andy enjoyed listening to Pryce speak.

Andy held back a giggle as she listened to Pryce’s current story. “Okay, run that one by me again.”

Pryce took a deep breath. “Okay. So, I’m trying to drive the car, my buddy Ace is covered in glitter and trying to navigate us to the nearest auto body shop while keeping us away from the cops, and the seven year old in the back of the car is trying to crawl out the windows to get outside. I’m still driving, and I don’t want this kid jumping out of a moving vehicle, so I’m also trying to roll up the windows while Ace is yelling at me to turn left. Keep in mind that there’s glitter all over the outside of the car too, and the windshield wipers aren’t doing shit to get rid of it.”

“This can’t be a real story,” Andy said.

“Hot Topic, I wish it wasn’t a true story. It was the hardest job I’ve done yet.” Pryce tapped her fingernails on the side of her empty glass. “Anyway, Ace and I—”

She was cut short when her phone rang in her pocket. She jumped and scrambled to grab it. “Hang on, I gotta take this.” She pressed her phone to her ear. “Hello?”

Since Pryce was busy, Andy took the time to bring out her own phone and look at the time. They’d already been there for almost an hour. They should probably get back to the hotel so Remy didn’t get worried.

“Really?” Pryce said to the other person on the phone. She listened for a moment. Her previous excitement faded. “Oh. That’s... that’s who you’re going after? I don’t know, that’s gonna be pretty difficult.” She kept tapping her fingernails on her glass. “That’s going to be hard, man. I don’t think...” She swallowed. “You really think we could...” She paused and listened to whoever was on the phone. “Okay. That sounds good. I’ll be there in a few.”

“What’s going on?” Andy asked as soon as Pryce hung up.

Pryce kept her gaze on the table. “I have to go. I’ve got a job.”

Andy’s heart sank. “Oh. I... I thought you were going to stay with us.”

Pryce scoffed. “Oh come on, Hot Topic. You really think I would stick around the minute I was out of range of your friends’ guns?” Her voice, which had been so excited just a minute ago, was now hard and angry. She dug around in her wallet and left a handful of twenties on the table. “I’ve got shit to do. I don’t have time for this.”

Andy couldn’t explain why those words hurt so much, but they did. She thought Pryce actually enjoyed being around her. She thought they had fun today, despite the fact that they were looking into Patton Hart’s dangerous past for most of the morning.

Her brief moment of hurt was replaced by annoyance. “Well, you better not sell Patton out to anyone. For one, I still have to question him about the shit _you_ helped me find.”

Pryce grimaced and didn’t respond as she straightened out the little bit of mess she’d made on the table during lunch. Andy’s annoyance grew. “Princeton, you’re _not_ going to sell him out.”

Pryce strode to the door without a response.

Andy clenched her jaw and stood. _“Pryce.”_

Pryce kept walking. Andy stormed over to her and grabbed her sleeve. Pryce snatched her sleeve out of Andy’s grip and whirled around. She glared at Andy with an anger that took Andy by surprise. She stepped back, half afraid that Pryce would pull a gun on her right in the restaurant.

“This is business,” Pryce snapped. “I don’t have time for a brat like you.”

 _“I’m_ a brat?” Andy’s anger grew. “Look in a mirror!”

“Why are you so upset about this?”

“Because I thought you _liked_ me!”

Pryce stared at her. Andy realized that had been the wrong thing to say.

“You thought wrong.” Pryce shoved the door open and left the restaurant.

Andy stared after her, dumbfounded. Pryce was right. Andy had been stupid to believe that Pryce would stay without someone threatening her. She shouldn’t have believed that Pryce would stick with their little group. She certainly wouldn’t stay because of Andy. Andy was just a random hacker that Pryce accidentally became acquainted with. Of course she didn’t like Andy.

Andy had thought that maybe Pryce would stay to help Andy question Patton, but thinking back on it, that was an absurd assumption to make. Patton was her target. Of course she wouldn’t want to piss him off by accusing him of being an old assassin. She was only sticking with them because Remy threatened to shoot her if she sold Patton out, but she wasn’t around Remy right now. She could do whatever she wanted.

And apparently she wanted to leave Andy behind.

“Excuse me, miss?”

Andy turned. A waiter stood behind her, a concerned look on his face. Everyone else in the restaurant was staring at her too. She suddenly felt ashamed for making a scene and interrupting everyone else’s meals.

“Are you okay?” the waiter asked.

Andy’s eyes burned with unshed tears. “I’m fine.”

She made a beeline for the door. There was no sign of Pryce outside, and Andy offhandedly wondered where she’d gone and how she’d left so quickly.

She shook her head. That didn’t matter. Pryce didn’t matter.

Andy glanced down at the black brooch on her sweater, the one she’d bought with Pryce. She had half a mind to take it off and throw it into the street, but some part of her resisted. Andy grimaced and looked away from the shining piece of jewellery.

Quickly shoving her helmet on, she shoved the keys into Remy’s bike and started the engine. She drove away from the restaurant back towards the hotel.

And if a couple tears ran down her face behind the screen of her helmet, then that was nobody’s business.

*******

Patton should have been more careful.

Remy didn’t say a word to him after he saw the tattoo on Patton’s shoulder, and Patton couldn’t blame him for being mad. Patton had kept this from him for so long. Of course Remy would be mad.

Thomas had returned to the hotel room after checking the perimeter of the building, but he must have sensed the tension in the room, because he immediately left again, muttering some excuse about needing to go fill up his car. He’d gone again, leaving Patton and Remy alone.

Patton sat on the bed, sliding the magazine of Remy’s gun in and out of the chamber. Remy refused to go to sleep again. Instead, he stood by the window, smoking a cigarette. He’d opened the window so the room didn’t get filled with smoke. Patton was pretty sure they weren’t allowed to smoke indoors, but he wasn’t about to tell Remy to put out the cigarette. He wasn’t sure if that would make Remy more upset.

Patton considered maybe saying something, breaking the ice, maybe even explaining his past as Poison Dart and everything else he was involved in, but every time he opened his mouth, he couldn’t make the words come out. There was nothing he could say to remove the tension. Remy knew about part of Patton’s past, and now he probably hated Patton.

Patton heaved a sigh and shoved the magazine into the gun. He should stop playing with it. He shouldn’t be holding a gun right now.

He set it down in front of him, but even without it in his hands, his trigger finger wouldn’t stop twitching. He grabbed it in his right hand to keep it still.

Patton wanted to scream. This entire situation was so frustrating. He was forced back into this business against his will. Yesterday was the first time he’d killed someone since 2010. And now he was falling back into his old habits: messing around with guns, keeping an eye on the exit to any room he was in, moving his trigger finger at the slightest sound.

He clenched his fists, resisting the urge to scratch at his shoulder. He wished he’d gotten that tattoo covered up a long time ago, but the insignia was easily recognizable to anyone in the business, and there was no way for him to know which tattoo artists weren’t involved. He didn’t want some artist from the Glassed Hearts seeing that.

He wondered what would happen if he did see a member of the Glassed Hearts again. Would they recognize him? Likely not, since Patton always used to cover his face while on the job, but what if someone had seen a glimpse of his face? He wasn’t sure if he’d be able to deal with the guilt. And the Glassed Hearts weren’t the last of it. He remembered what he did to the Vine Thirty-Niners way back in 2004. That was almost worse.

Patton shook his head. He shouldn’t be wallowing in his guilt right now. That was all in the past. It happened, and he couldn’t take it back.

The door swung open. Patton snatched up the gun and flicked the safety off. Thomas and Andy stood in the doorway, and Patton breathed a sigh of relief.

His relief was short lived. It took him a moment to notice that Pryce wasn’t there, and another moment to realize that Andy’s face was wet with tears. Thomas’s arm was draped around her shoulders.

Remy seemed to notice all this at the same time. He stopped leaning on the windowsill and turned to face Andy and Thomas. “What happened?” A plume of smoke drifted from his mouth as he spoke.

Andy didn’t respond. She shrugged Thomas’ arm off her and crossed the room towards Remy. She crushed him in a hug as soon as she reached him and buried her face in his shirt., Free hand still holding his cigarette, Remy automatically wrapped an arm around her as soon as she hit his chest.

He shoved his cigarette in his mouth and hugged her with both arms. “I gotcha,” he muttered around the cigarette.

Thomas and Patton exchanged confused glances. Patton didn’t know what happened, but he got the feeling it had something to do with Pryce’s absence.

Remy narrowed his eyes. Patton had only ever seen that kind of rage in his eyes a few times before. At the moment, Patton was glad Remy didn’t have his gun with him right now. If he did, he would storm out of the room and shoot Pryce as soon as he found her.

He took his cigarette out of his mouth. Smoke streamed from his lips when he spoke.

“I’m going to kill that fucking bounty hunter.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :) never mind i'm not sorry


	31. Patton And The Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Patton and his group are on the run again. They almost reach their destination, but things go south quick.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warnings: there is a gunshot at some point and a tiny bit of blood, but other than that, this chapter is relatively fine, surprisingly enough. guns are present for most of it, but nothing is fired until near the end of the chapter. someone also faints, but they're not dead, so no worries!  
> in other news, i think this fic just reached 100,000 words. i need to stop writing so much-

Patton took a hesitant step toward Remy and Andy. “Andy, what happened?”

Andy took her face away from Remy’s shirt to look at him, cheeks stained with tears. “Pryce is a fucking asshole,” she mumbled, wiping her eyes. “We were out doing stuff and she left because she got a job.” Her eyes widened. “Shit, I didn’t even think to ask what the job was. She and her bounty hunter friends might be coming after you. _Fuck.”_

“What were you guys doing?” Thomas asked.

Andy didn’t answer right away. She glanced at Patton. “Nothing. Just working on stuff.” She shouldered her laptop bag, and Patton noticed that there was another black bag hanging from her shoulder alongside it. He decided not to ask what it was. Andy had her own work to take care of, and it wasn’t Patton’s business.

“Anyway, she left.” Andy sniffled. “I shouldn’t be so fucking upset about this. I don’t know why I’m... dammit.”

“It’s okay,” Thomas said. “We’ll have to get out of here in case she comes after us. Maybe we can even find her again and convince her not to sell us out.”

Andy sighed. “Maybe.” She ran a hand through her hair. “Shit,” she hissed. “I thought she was... I don’t know, I thought she was fine. I thought maybe she wasn’t an asshole. God dammit.” Andy swiped at her eyes. “I’m sorry. I thought I could trust her for some stupid reason.”

“This is not your fault,” Remy insisted. “She’s the one who decided to be an asshole. You didn’t make her leave.”

Andy took a deep, shuddering breath. “Yeah.” She pulled away from Remy. “We should go then, probably. I don’t know how long it might take her friends to get here, if they are coming after us.”

“We have to find a place to stay,” Patton mumbled. “The Critic House?””

“That might be our best option,” Thomas agreed. “Let’s pack up.”

The four of them scrambled to shove all of their stuff into their bags. It didn’t take long since none of them had much of anything, but it still took longer than Patton would have liked it to. He wanted to get out of here as soon as possible. He didn’t know if Pryce or any of her friends were already on their way to get him.

Andy tossed the motorcycle keys to Remy. “I’m riding with Thomas.”

“I will, too,” Patton offered, hefting his backpack. He didn’t want to be stuck on a motorbike with an upset Remy.

“Sound good.” Remy slung his bag over his shoulder. “Let’s go, babes.”

The four of them made a beeline for the door. As a group, they hurried down the hallway towards the lobby. Getting out of this place as quick as possible was their top priority.

Andy dug around in her bag and tossed something to Remy. “Connect that to your phone and call me.”

Remy furrowed his brow at the earpiece in his hands. He shrugged and pulled out his phone.

They passed by the desk. “We’re checking out!” Remy called, shoving the earpiece into his ear. “Cancel the room booked under Remy Dormir!”

The receptionist (who wasn’t the bounty hunter from last night, thank God) protested, but her insistent shouting fell on deaf ears. The four of them left the hotel. Thomas was already digging his keys out of his pocket when they entered the parking lot.

Patton’s hand slipped into his pocket, where he’d put Remy’s gun. Remy might need it if he was going to be alone on his bike.

Patton took the gun and held it out to Remy. “Here.”

Remy shook his head as he grabbed one of his helmets. “No, you’re a better shot. Keep it.”

“You need something to protect yourself,” Patton argued.

“Here.” Thomas grabbed his own gun out of his bag and shoved it in Remy’s hands. “Patton, I know you probably don’t want to shoot people, but you’re our best shot. You’re keeping a gun on you.”

A pit of guilt settled in Patton’s gut. He didn’t like shooting people, but Thomas was right.

Patton clambered into the backseat of Thomas’s car as Andy took the passenger seat. He mentally swore at himself for letting everyone else keep that bounty hunter around. If they had just let her go from the beginning, this wouldn’t have happened. He hadn’t particularly trusted her from the start. He should have said something.

Thomas drove out of the parking lot. Andy shoved her phone in the cupholder with one hand and grabbed her laptop with the other. “Remy, I’m setting my GPS to the Critic House. Follow us there and keep an eye out for anyone suspicious.”

“Gotcha,” Remy’s voice said through the speaker. Patton glanced behind them and saw Remy following them on his bike.

He quickly buckled his seatbelt. He prayed they wouldn’t get in another car chase, but he got the feeling they wouldn’t be so lucky.

He kept a tight grip on the gun in his pocket as Thomas drove, glancing out the windows every few seconds to make sure no one was following them. He didn’t like being so paranoid, but he had to stay on his toes.

“I’m not seeing anyone,” Remy said. “You guys?”

“No.” Thomas glanced at Andy’s laptop screen and flicked his turn signal on.

They kept driving, and Patton found himself eyeing the black satchel Andy had over her shoulder. He didn’t know where she’d picked it up, but he was curious about it.

“Andy,” he said, “if you don’t mind me asking... what’s in that extra bag?”

Andy’s shoulders stiffened. “Nothing. Just something I picked up on the job. I’ll tell you later.”

Judging by the shakiness in her voice, Patton was sure there was something more to whatever was in that satchel than she was letting on. He wanted to press her for answers, but he kept his mouth shut.

“So, what exactly was this job you were doing?” Thomas asked.

Andy gave a shaky laugh. “Well, it wasn’t exactly a job. It was just something I was curious about. I needed Pryce’s help on it because I didn’t want to bother the rest of you. I’ll ask you about it later.”

Patton furrowed his brow, suddenly confused. “Ask us about it? Why would you be asking us about whatever’s in the bag?”

Andy ran a hand through her hair. “Okay, well, I wouldn’t be asking all of you about it, just you. It’s—it’s complicated, okay? I was looking into some things because I got curious about some shit I heard you say last night, and everything was fine but now Pryce decided to run off and get her friends to come after you so we don’t really have time to talk about this!”

Her chest heaved as she regained her breath. Patton swallowed nervously. He wanted to know what was in Andy’s satchel.

Thomas bit his lip and glanced at Andy’s laptop again. “We’ll figure this out when we get there,” he said.

A car honked out in the street. Their own vehicle swerved a little and Patton yelped in surprise. He tightened his grip on his gun. “What happened?”

“Someone ran a red light to pull up behind you!” Remy shouted through Andy’s phone. “They cut me off. I don’t know if they’re purposely following you, but I’m on their tail.”

Patton twisted around in his seat to look behind them. Remy and his bike were nowhere in sight. The vehicle right behind them was a white car. The person in the driver’s seat was the only one in the vehicle. He didn’t look like Pryce, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t a bounty hunter. Patton didn’t want to take any chances. He kept his eye on the car as they drove.

Andy muttered a curse under her breath. “I wish I got Pryce’s number or something. I could track her if I had some information.” The keys of her laptop clacked as she typed. “I’ll try to see who she’s affiliated with so we can figure out what we’re up against. Patton, what does the driver of the car behind us look like?”

Patton squinted. “Hard to tell, but I think it’s a guy? He’s white, got dark hair, scruffy unshaven face, and he’s wearing a trench coat, I think. I can’t see much more.”

“Does he look like he could be a detective, by any chance?”

“Yeah, I guess. Why?”

“That might be Ace Spencer. He’s a detective in the city, but he’s in the Critic House’s database as a bounty hunter. I’m going through their stuff to see who else they’re with.”

“Detective Spencer?” Remy asked. “Shit, I bumped into the guy a while back. Got into some legal trouble. Guy nearly got me arrested. He’s lowkey been looking for me for a while, but I don’t know if he wants to find me for legal justice or illegal services. Maybe I can get him away. Hang on.”

Patton watched as Remy pulled his bike up next to the white car. His trigger finger twitched as he watched Remy lift the visor of his helmet. He waved at the driver of the car, who glanced over and did a double take when he saw Remy’s face. It was too hard to hear Remy’s voice over the speaker now that the wind was blowing through his helmet. Patton hoped whatever conversation he was having with this guy was actually doing something.

Ace nodded once at Remy as he lowered his visor. The white car slowed down and pulled into another lane. Remy swerved back behind Thomas’s car.

“So, Ace was a little too happy to see me,” he said, “but he said he might leave us alone if I could help him track down a couple other people he’s had his eye on. He’s not contacting anyone else he’s working with, but we’ve got him off our ass now.”

Patton breathed a sigh of relief. They weren’t safe yet, but that was one small problem crossed off their long list of worries.

“God, I’m probably going to have to deal with him when we get to the Critic House,” Remy grumbled.

“I don’t blame you for disliking him,” Andy scoffed. “Critic’s database says he used to work for Wrath’s Blade.”

Thomas scowled. “Forgive my language, but Wrath can fuck off.” He shook his head as he turned down another street. “I don’t think anyone who’s ever worked for them has any morals at all. But hey, maybe I’m just biased, as someone who used to literally rescue _children_ from Wrath’s trafficking business.”

Andy nudged Thomas’s shoulder. “Calm down, you’re speeding.”

Thomas took a deep breath. “Right.”

Patton’s left finger twitched. He grit his teeth and said nothing.

Andy’s fingers danced on the keyboard of her laptop. “We’re getting closer to the Critic House and I don’t see anyone familiar coming after us. Remy, got anything?”

“There’s a car behind me,” he said. “They’re right on my back. I don’t know what their deal is, but I’m willing to bet it’s nothing good.”

Patton kept an eye on the car driving behind Remy. It didn’t swerve after them or speed up to ram into them, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t following them.

The car shifted into another lane and turned onto another street. “False alarm, I guess,” Andy muttered.

Patton wasn’t so sure. He drew the gun from his pocket and rested his finger on the trigger.

He kept his head on a swivel as they drove. He couldn’t let down his guard for even a second. His morals may have been screaming at him to put the gun down and not shoot anyone, but he had to protect the others. If someone came after him, then Remy, Thomas, and Andy would all be in danger, too. He had to keep them safe.

Strangely enough, they encountered almost no problems during their drive through the city. Either Pryce and her bounty hunters weren’t trying very hard, they lost track of Patton, or they were going to strike the moment Patton thought he was safe. He was sure it was going to be the last option.

Andy shut her laptop and shoved it back into her bag. “We’re pretty much there. Just straight down this street and turn left into the parking lot.”

Thomas sped up a little. Patton half wished he would go as fast as he could so they got there sooner, but he kept his mouth shut. He stared out the windshield, waiting for them to turn to the parking lot. They were so close. It looked like they were going to make it.

A bang exploded through the air. Something hit the windshield with a _crack_. The car swerved, and Patton barely had time to scream before they crashed into a lamp post. He lurched forward from the force, his seatbelt just barely keeping him from slamming his head on the back of Andy’s seat.

Patton took a moment to process what happened. He unbuckled his seatbelt and poked his head into the front seat. “Everyone okay?”

Andy nodded. She shifted in her seat and glanced around them. “What the fuck...” Her voice trailed off.

Patton could see why. A spiderweb of cracks snaked across the windshield, leading to a small hole in the glass, as if someone had shot a bullet through it.

Thomas groaned and shook his head. “Shit,” he whispered. “What happened?”

Patton stared at the hole in the glass. He glanced around their seats for any holes in the leather that might indicate that a bullet hit it, but he couldn’t find anything. He quickly patted himself down. Nothing hurt when he touched it, and there was no blood from what he could see, so he concluded that he hadn’t been shot. He looked Andy up and down, searching for blood, but there was nothing on her. There didn’t seem to be any sign of injuries on Thomas, either. Where had the bullet gone?

“Someone shot the car,” Andy said. “Where’s the bullet?”

Patton gave both of them another once-over. His eye caught on a hole in the arm of Thomas’s red leather jacket. He squinted. The edges of the hole were wet.

“Thomas,” Patton said. He pointed to the hole.

Thomas turned his head to look at his arm. He touched the leather and his fingers came away red.

Thomas blinked. “Huh.” He stared at the blood. His eyes fluttered shut and he slumped in his seat.

“Dammit,” Andy cursed. She reached over and pressed her fingers against his neck. The bullet only hit his arm, so it was unlikely he would die from it, but she must have been worried enough to want to make sure.

Patton opened his car door and scrambled out. Remy had parked his bike along the sidewalk and ran up to the car, helmet tossed aside. Everyone else around them on the street was staring in horror. Quite a few were calling the police.

Patton tensed. They had to get to the Critic House before the police got here. Wrath’s Blade had agents in the justice system here in Sidehill. If they saw him, he was dead.

“What happened?” Remy asked.

“Someone shot the car,” Patton said, knuckles white on the gun in his pocket. “We have to get Thomas into the hotel. He got shot.”

Remy’s eyes widened. “We need to get him to a hospital.”

“We need to hide!” Patton’s breathing quickened. “If we don’t, then Wrath is going to find us, and they’re going to—”

“No, they’re going after _you_ ,” Remy said. “Not us.” He pushed Patton in the direction of the Critic House. “You go. Andy and I will get Thomas to a hospital. The cops here won’t know that we know you. Wrath isn’t going to come after us. But they’ll come after you if you stay out here. Go!”

Patton stood frozen on the street. Every instinct screamed at him to run, but he couldn’t leave Remy. He just couldn’t.

Remy gave him another gentle push. “Patton, go. Please.” His warm brown eyes pleaded with Patton, and despite thinking that Remy was mad at him earlier, there was no trace of anger anywhere on his face.

Tears sprang to Patton’s eyes, but he forced them back. “Call me and let me know you’re okay.”

Remy nodded once. Patton turned away, but before he could start running, Andy bolted out of the car and grabbed his wrist. “Wait!”

He didn’t have time to react before she shoved the black satchel she’d been carrying into his hands. “I don’t know if I’ll have time to talk to you about this. Take it. You might need it.”

Patton forced his confusion aside and took the bag. “Thanks.”

He glanced back at Remy, who had opened Thomas’s car door and was checking his pulse. Remy looked up and motioned down the street with his head, silently urging Patton to run.

And Patton did.

He shoved through the growing crowd around the wreck that was Thomas’s car, muttering frantic “excuse me’s” and “sorry’s”. He sprinted faster than he ever had in his life. He couldn’t believe he was leaving Remy behind. A pit of guilt settled in his stomach as he ran.

He rounded a corner and slowed to a stop when he saw the Critic House. He stood at the edge of the parking lot. He didn’t want to go in without Remy.

He looked back at the crowd surrounding Thomas’s car. He couldn’t even see Remy through the sheer amount of people.

Patton stepped onto the pavement of the parking lot. He was safe now, but Remy still wasn’t.

The Critic House didn’t look any different than it used to. It looked like any old hotel, emphasis on the “old”. The red brick it was made of was crumbling in a few places, and one or two of the windows were cracked.

Patton walked across the parking lot, tightly gripping the bag Andy had given him in both hands. He was glad he’d kept his backpack on. He wouldn’t have wanted to leave it in the car.

He paused at the doors. Almost everyone involved in illegal businesses in the country knew about the Critic House. There would surely be members of Wrath’s Blade in there. The moment he stepped through those doors, everyone would know where he is. He wouldn’t be able to leave without a dozen people trailing after him.

He pushed open the doors. The lobby was much nicer than the outside of the hotel. The floors gleamed with polish. People lounged on the lavish, extravagant couches, a few of them wiping down bloody knives and reloading guns. One person looked up as the doors swung open and her eyes widened. She nudged the person next to her and pointed.

A hush fell over the lobby. Dozens of pairs of eyes burned into Patton’s flesh. He scratched at his left shoulder and lowered his gaze.

He walked up to the front desk. “Room for one.”

The receptionist raised a brow. “Name?”

“Pois—” Patton clamped his mouth shut. He’d nearly said Poison Dart. That wasn’t something he needed to make public.

He cleared his throat. “Patton Hart.”

The receptionist typed something into his computer. “You’re aware of our rules?”

“Yes.”

“Good.” The receptionist set a key card on the desk. “Your room is on the fourth floor. Don’t lose your key.”

Patton took the card and made his way to the elevator. Everyone’s eyes followed him. Trying to look as small as possible, he hunched his shoulders and shrank down in his jacket. He wanted to just disappear into the floor. Everyone knew about the bounty on his head. Everyone would be waiting for the chance to capture him and drag him to Wrath’s Blade. The hotel’s rules might deter most people from coming after him, but it wouldn’t keep some of the more determined bounty hunters at bay. If they could get away with catching or killing him, they would try.

No one else was in the elevator, which was a relief. He waited for it to bring him to the fourth floor. As soon as the doors were open, he hurried down the hall, searching for his room. He found it, unlocked it, and slammed the door shut behind him.

Patton stood facing the door for a moment to let his brain catch up with everything that just happened. He left Remy behind to save himself. He was surrounded by enemies who would only refrain from hurting him because they ran the risk of being hunted down themselves if they tried.

He backed away from the door. Guilt washed over him in waves for leaving Remy and the others behind, but he had no choice. Not if he wanted to stay away from Wrath.

He sat down on the bed. He set his backpack on the floor and looked down at the satchel Andy had given him. He didn’t know what could possibly be in there, but he figured now was as good of a time to check as any.

Patton unbuckled the flap of the bag and opened it. He nearly had a heart attack.

The inside of the bag was lined with orange and blue fabric covered in blue whorls, like the skin of a poison dart frog. Tucked into the side of the bag was a pistol of the same colours and design, and in a pocket in the opposite side of the bag was a knife in a sheath. A pouch of ammunition sat next to the gun. At the bottom of the bag sat a folded bundle of black clothes and a plastic bag full of cash.

The bag fell from his hands and hit the floor. His trigger finger twitched. How... how did Andy find this? What were she and Pryce doing when they left the hotel earlier? How had they gotten into his weapons locker? Why did they take this?

His finger kept twitching. He grabbed his hand and held it tight to stop it. His fingernails dug into the skin on the back of his left hand.

Next time he saw Andy, he was going to have to have a talk with her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the next chapter is a bit of a filler one, just for some Family Bonding between Virgil and Diana. it's going to be a calmer chapter before shit REALLY goes down, i am so excited for chapter 33 >:)
> 
> also, Patton's finally gotten to the Critic House and AAAAAAH I AM SO EXCITED TO INTRODUCE THE CRITIC HE'S SO FUN but he doesn't show up until chapter 37 so there's still a bit to wait


	32. I Think I Need Therapy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Virgil and Diana have a talk. Virgil starts to consider some things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> early update because i work tomorrow and probably won't have time to update then. this is kind of a chill chapter where not a lot happens, but there is some nice Family Bonding with Virgil and Diana. next chapter is where things start to pick up again >:)
> 
> warning: there is a lengthy discussion about strict parents and abuse in foster homes throughout most of this chapter. if you'd like to skip it, i will provide a summary in the end notes!

Virgil gently brushed the hair of his Draculaura doll as Diana sorted through her suitcase. “Are you sure you don’t need help with your stuff?”

Diana folded a cardigan and set it aside. “I’m fine, kiddo. I’ve got it.” She huffed. “Jemma never folds her stuff,” she whispered, picking up a sweater and holding it up to examine.

“That’s Jemma’s stuff?”

Diana sighed. “Yeah.” She folded the sweater and set it on her bed next to where Virgil was sitting. “I grabbed her stuff when I was getting my suitcase. I’m going to see if I can visit her tomorrow, since Mr. Chimera is keeping her in the bank’s infirmary. I hope they have reliable doctors, because if anything happens to Jemma while she’s there, I’m going to fight someone.”

Virgil set down his little hairbrush and started braiding Draculaura’s hair. “You couldn’t fight anyone if you tried.”

Diana’s shoulders slumped. “You’re right.” She looked around the room. “I wish I could have told my parents what happened. They would kill me if they knew I got involved in a crime business.”

“Yeah, your parents kinda suck like that. No offence.”

“None taken.” Diana picked up a t-shirt and folded it. “Besides, I think most parents would be upset if their kid took loans from a criminal organization. But mine have always been more strict than Patton. I’d be grounded for life.” Diana sighed. “How come you guys ended up with the great dad?”

Virgil shrugged in response. He finished braiding Draculaura’s hair and then untangled it to brush it again. He wished he could have brought another one of his dolls. He would have liked for Draculaura to have company.

Diana picked up another t-shirt. She didn’t fold it and instead just held it in her hands, staring down at the fabric with sad eyes. She lifted her glasses and wiped at them. “Sorry,” she said, her voice thick with emotion. “I just want Jemma to be okay. I wish I would have borrowed from Wrath’s Blade instead. Mom said I could go to them as a last resort if I ever had to, but she always said I shouldn’t even think about it. Maybe if I’d gone there instead, Jemma would be okay.”

Virgil didn’t quite know what to say to that. “Why did you borrow from Chimera again?” he asked. “I don’t think other banks kidnap people to get you to pay back your loans.”

“True, but I needed more than what a normal bank would give me. My parents never let me get a job, so I had nothing to start me off. I needed money to get into the college programs I wanted. Mom and Dad didn’t help.” She scowled. “Sometimes I just wished I had asked Patton if I could move in with you guys.”

Virgil’s mood brightened. “That would have been awesome. I’ve never had a sister.”

Diana smiled. “I’ve never had brothers.”

“It’s really annoying, I’m warning you,” Virgil said. “They’re loud.”

A laugh escaped Diana’s lips. “I’m well aware.” She set the shirt aside and sat cross-legged on the bed. She tugged on a necklace around her neck. The silver pendant was shaped like a heart. “Virge?”

“Yeah?”

“I know my struggles with parents haven’t been nearly as bad as yours, but... how do you deal with parents that are too strict? Parents that don’t let you do anything without them knowing? Parents that don’t... don’t support you in all the ways you wished they did?”

Virgil had to think about that. He’d had his fair share of bad parents, but one thing in common is that they all responded to criticism with anger. Whether it was just accusatory comments of “how dare you” and “I’ve done so much for you” and “you’re so ungrateful” or full on yelling and screaming, it was all some form of anger. Criticizing adults was never a good way to deal with bad parents, from what he’d seen. They never listened, just assumed he was wrong.

“I don’t know,” Virgil admitted. “All my parents have yelled at me when I’ve asked them not to do certain things. They’ve all been assholes.”

“Watch your language,” Diana said automatically.

“Sorry.” Virgil kept brushing his doll’s hair. “I’m not wrong though. Adults don’t like being told that they’re doing something wrong.”

“Have you ever told Patton if he’s done anything wrong?”

Virgil furrowed his brow. “No, not really. Dad’s done most things pretty well. I have told Remy that I would prefer it if he didn’t come near me after he smoked, though. He was fine with it, but he’s not really a parent.”

“Hmm.” Diana rested her chin on her hand. “Do Roman and Remus have different opinions on parents? Do you know?”

Virgil tensed. He didn’t want to tell her all about Remus’s troubles with adults. That wasn’t Virgil’s story to tell. Besides, it would probably take a while. There was too much to explain.

“Well, Roman has better experiences with adults than Remus and I do,” Virgil said. “His views on them are flawed at best, though. He thinks adults can fix anything and they know better just because he wasn’t treated like shit in our foster homes. They always praised him for being better than me and Remus.”

Diana’s face fell into something that resembled sympathy. “Oh. I didn’t know that your foster parents played favourites.”

“We never told you.” Virgil set down his plastic brush and started braiding Draculaura’s hair again.

Diana seemed to hesitate before she spoke next. “How were you and Remus treated?”

Virgil swallowed. “I was treated better than Remus, but that’s because Remus wouldn’t keep his mouth shut. He wouldn’t stay still, either. I just suppressed everything and stayed quiet. I had a lot of meltdowns in private, but it was better than the alternative.”

Diana was silent for a moment. “What was the alternative?” Her voice was quiet.

Virgil stopped braiding his doll’s hair. He wasn’t sure if he should tell Diana about anything that happened to Remus. She might go tell someone, and Remus might get mad at Virgil for telling someone. Or maybe Roman would get made at him. Mr. Chimera might find out and think that the things their foster parents did were good, and then he might start doing those things—

Virgil shook his head lightly to get his thoughts back on track. That was his anxiety talking. Janus would never do something like that, and Diana would never go and tell everyone else something that Virgil told her.

Virgil untangled the braid in his doll’s hair and started brushing it again. “Our first foster mother once tied Remus’s hands to a table to keep him from messing with things. She did that a couple times, actually. She liked to lock him in dark rooms when he got upset. One of our other foster mothers did that, too, our most recent one. She was the worst. She tied my hands together once when she saw me fidgeting.”

Diana stared at him in horror. “Oh my goodness. That’s awful.”

“Yeah. You know that Remus has a bad knee, right?”

“Yeah, why?”

“That’s because of our last foster mother.”

Diana’s jaw dropped. “Holy shit. That’s... that’s abuse. That’s just straight up abuse. What the hell is wrong with your foster parents? How didn’t they get arrested?”

“No one called the police. Even if we told anyone, no one would believe a bunch of kids.”

Diana blinked at him. “You guys... Are you guys, like, okay?”

“Nope,” Virgil said, popping the _p_. “I mean, Roman cries at the slightest bit of criticism because the only times he’s been exposed to it is when me and Remus were being screamed at, so he thinks all criticism leads to people shouting at him. I have crippling anxiety and can’t interact with people without thinking they’re going to hurt me or think I’m weird for behaving the way I am, and panic attacks are almost a daily thing. And Remus’s OCD isn’t getting any better.” Virgil shrugged and combed through Draculaura’s hair. “It just be like that sometimes.”

Diana spluttered. “It shouldn’t ‘just be like that sometimes’. Nothing should be like that, not sometimes or ever.” She ran a hand through her hair. “Oh my God, your foster parents were absolute shitheads.”

“Language.”

“I know, I know.” Diana tugged on the sleeves of her cardigan. “Did Patton ever try to get you guys into therapy?”

Virgil hesitated. “Well, yeah, but Remus kept telling him we didn’t want to talk to anyone. Dad stopped asking eventually. He helped us himself as best as he could, and Mr. Minder gave some input when Dad couldn’t do everything. I was always too anxious to let him know that I actually want to see someone. I don’t want to be a bother.”

“You are not a bother for asking if you can see a therapist,” Diana said in disbelief. “Virge, I get that you’re anxious about it, but that is exactly why you need to ask someone if you can see a therapist. I’ll ask _for_ you if you’re too worried about it.”

Virgil stared at her. “You would?” He hadn’t been expecting her to offer to help him with anything.

“Yeah. I think Mr. Chimera was even talking with someone on the phone earlier about all four of us seeing a counselor. He wouldn’t be surprised if any of us asked him if we could see a professional and get our emotional issues sorted out.”

Virgil stopped brushing his doll’s hair and gazed down at the bed. This was almost too much to think about. Was it really possible that he could get some help for the things he’s been going through? Would he even be able to talk once he got into a therapist’s office? Would a therapist even listen to him? Would they believe him if he told them about the shit he’s been through?

“You wouldn’t have to go into therapy alone,” Diana said. “I could even go in with you.”

Virgil considered it. The thought of talking to someone about his problems made his stomach turn with anxiety, but maybe it was time he got some help. And if Diana would be with him while he was getting help, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad.

“I might ask Janus about it later.” He set Draculaura aside. This was certainly something to think about.

Virgil opened his mouth to ask if Diana’s ever gone to therapy, but he was interrupted when he heard frantic footsteps running down the hall outside the room. He exchanged a confused glance with Diana. Someone knocked on the door. Virgil stood and opened it.

Roman stood in the doorway, eyes wide with panic. “We have drama practice today.”

Virgil’s shoulders slumped. He’d nearly forgotten about the twins’ drama lessons.

“What time is it now?” he asked.

“Almost three.”

So they had half an hour to get the twins to practice. “Where’s Remus?”

Roman shrugged. Virgil sighed. “I’ll find him. Go get your stuff ready.” He glanced back at Diana. “Can we talk about this later?”

“Sure thing, Virge.” She nudged her suitcase aside with her foot and walked to the door. “Come on, Ro.”

Roman hurried off to his room, Diana in tow. Virgil veered off to the hallway, since no one was in the upstairs living room that he could see. Remus might still be outside.

He entered the downstairs living room. D.W. was sitting on one of the couches with a bucket of ice cream in her lap. She was covered in a dozen blankets, and she stared at the TV screen as Mr. Minder scrolled through Netflix.

“You can’t eat your trauma away, Dorothy,” he said.

“I can damn sure try,” D.W. said through a mouthful of ice cream. Her gaze flickered over to Virgil. “Oh, hey kid. Sup?”

“Where’s Remus?”

“Probably outside.”

“Thanks.”

Virgil hurried out the back door. He hadn’t been in Janus’s backyard yet, but it was nice. Flowers bloomed in flowerbeds along the edges of the yard. He spotted a greenhouse in the far corner. Since Remus wasn’t visible anywhere in the yard, Virgil assumed he was in the greenhouse.

“Remus?” he called when he opened the door to the greenhouse. “You in here?”

“Virge!” Remus’s voice shouted from somewhere within the dozens of plants. Virgil heard footsteps, and then Remus emerged. He was covered in dirt, but his smile was bright.

“What’s up, emo?” Remus said.

Janus appeared from the plants, sunhat crooked on his head. “Ah, Virgil. Good to see you. Do you need something?”

Virgil looked at Remus. “Drama practice.”

Horror flashed across Remus’s face. “What time is it?”

“Almost three.”

Remus’s shoulders relaxed in relief. He turned to Janus. “Can you drive me and Roman to drama practice?”

Janus blinked at the sudden request. “Oh. I suppose so. But I don’t know if it’s safe enough to let the two of you out of my sight. I am supposed to be protecting you, after all.”

“We’ll be fine,” Remus assured him. “Please? Roman won’t want to miss theatre.”

Janus glanced back and forth between Remus and Virgil. He sighed. “I guess I could take the two of you to your drama thing. Where is it?”

“Sanders Middle School,” Virgil answered. “Across the city.”

“It shouldn’t take more than twenty minutes to get there, if traffic is good,” Janus mused. “Come on then, let’s get Roman. Virgil, you’re free to wander the greenhouse and the backyard if you’d like. Just don’t water the plants, they’ve been taken care of.”

Janus and Remus rushed out of the greenhouse. Virgil watched them go. As soon as they were back inside, he turned to the plants. There were so many different flowers. He’d never really gotten outside much, other than in the past couple years when he’s been with Dad. His foster parents never let him out of the house, so it was a little strange being given full range of the yard.

He knelt next to a flowerpot with a red flower in it. He really did have a lot to think about. And he had plenty of time to do so while the twins were at theatre practice.

He reached out and touched the petals of the flower in front of him. Maybe it was time he got some help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Virgil and Diana have a discussion about Diana's parents and Virgil's experience in foster homes. Upon hearing about the abuse he and Remus had to go through, Diana suggests that Virgil seek therapy and even offers to go into therapy with him if he's too anxious to do so alone. He starts to consider it, but then Roman bursts into the room to remind Virgil that he and Remus have drama practice. Virgil finds Remus to remind him, and Remus asks Janus if he can drive the twins to practice. The twins leave with Janus, and Virgil decides to spend some time outside to think about things.


	33. Drama Practice Goes Very Wrong

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Janus and Logan take the twins to drama practice. Remus is more than a little suspicious of someone he meets in the auditorium. Meanwhile, Janus and Logan have a serious discussion, but they don't realize how much time has passed until it's too late.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> there are spoilers in the warning, but i suggest you still read the warning just in case. anyway, here's the chapter where everything goes to shit :)
> 
> WARNING: this chapter contains kidnapping, and by extension, non-consensual drug use. i apologize in advance for everything that's about to happen

Janus didn’t like driving, so of course, when the twins asked him to drive them to their theatre practice, he hadn’t really wanted to. He’d asked Logan if he wanted to accompany them. Janus would have just asked Logan to take the twins by himself, but Janus was meant to protect these kids when they left the house. He was going to keep them in his sight as much as he could. Besides, Virgil and Diana would be safe with just D.W. in the house.

While Roman and Remus got their things together, Janus hurriedly put on something a little more professional than a t-shirt and a floppy sunhat. He borrowed Logan’s jacket with the Chimera logo on the back, since Logan hardly ever wore it anyway. He opted to leave his hat behind. It might attract too much attention.

Now he was in the passenger seat of Logan’s car, staring out the window as Logan drove them across the city. The twins bantered back and forth in the backseat, each one holding a script of some sort. They must have been running through some of their lines before practice. Janus found that a little unnecessary, since they were going to be practicing their theatre stuff in a few minutes with everyone else in their drama group anyway, but he didn’t say anything.

Oddly enough, Logan was silent during the drive. That was unusual, but Janus didn’t mind the silence. He had too much on his mind to talk much anyway.

Unfortunately, the silence couldn’t last forever. “Roman, Remus,” Logan said. “What play is your drama club performing?”

“Peter Pan!” Roman piped up, practically vibrating in his seat from excitement. “I get to be Peter.”

“Remus, what’s your role?”

Janus heard the smirk in Remus’s voice when he spoke. “Captain Hook. I wanted to go for the villain. He gets eaten by a crocodile at the end. Makes me wonder what it would actually feel like to get eaten by something. Also, he’s got a sick mustache.”

“Those roles will suit you both very well,” Logan said. “Are you disappointed at all that your costumes will be in each other’s favourite colours, though?”

“I’m sure I can pull off a green costume,” Roman said.

“Don’t pull it off during the play,” Remus pointed out. “Nobody wants to see you naked on stage.”

Roman laughed and smacked Remus’s arm with his script. “That’s not what I meant and you know it!”

“You might want to save your energy for the stage, boys,” Logan said. “We’re just about there. We’ll remain in the car until you’re finished.”

They both fell silent as Logan pulled into the parking lot of a school. Their doors were open the second Logan parked the car. “Thanks for the ride!” Roman called out. He and Remus hurried up to the doors as fast as their legs would carry them.

Janus watched them go. “They really like theatre, don’t they?”

“Mhm,” was Logan’s only response.

Janus blinked. That was an unusual response. Logan often spoke much more than this.

“How long does drama practice go on for?” Janus asked in another attempt to spark a conversation.

“An hour.” Logan’s hands were still on the steering wheel, even though he’d already shut the car off. He didn’t even look at Janus.

Janus turned back to face the dashboard. A small wave of anxiety flared up inside him. Normally, Janus would welcome the silent company, but this was unusual for Logan. He loved to talk. Why was he quiet? Did Janus make him mad somehow?

Janus wanted to say something else to break the silence, but he didn’t know if that would only make things worse. Maybe Logan wanted silence. Maybe there really was nothing wrong and Janus was overreacting. He knew that he tended to blow things out of proportion. Maybe this was just another situation that Janus was reading wrong.

But after ten minutes of pure uncomfortable silence, Janus had to speak. He tugged on his gloves. “Did I do something wrong?” he asked quietly.

Logan blinked at Janus. He inhaled sharply. “Oh. Oh, Janus, no. I’m sorry. I just—I forgot that you can’t...” He cursed under his breath. “I thought you understood why I’m upset. I didn’t even explain. I’m sorry, it’s nothing. I promise. Please don’t worry about it.”

“You’re upset?” Janus asked.

Logan gave a sharp nod. “Yes. But it’s nothing, really. Don’t worry yourself over it.”

“Is it something I did?”

“No,” Logan blurted, eyes wide. He cleared his throat and turned away. “No, Janus. You didn’t do anything. You don’t have to worry about it.”

Janus reached out and set his hand on Logan’s. “Dear, if it’s bothering you, I’d like to know how I can help, even if I’m not the cause of it. I care about you. I want to help if I can.”

“You can’t,” Logan said. “But thank you.” He gave Janus a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “I appreciate the concern anyway.”

Janus furrowed his brow. Logan was hiding whatever was bothering him. Janus had a feeling he knew why. “Does this have something to do with earlier?” he asked.

“What happened earlier?” Logan asked innocently. He was pretending not to know.

“You were upset earlier because I couldn’t tell you about something related to Poison Dart. You’re still upset about it, aren’t you?”

Logan’s shoulders tensed, and Janus knew he’d gotten it right. “It’s no big deal,” Logan said. “I really shouldn’t be so hung up about it. This is not your fault. It’s not something you can help.” He tugged his hand out of Janus’s grip. “Don’t worry about it, Janus.”

Janus opened his mouth to respond, but he couldn’t think of anything to say. He didn’t want Logan to be upset. He flapped his hands a little as anxiety and frustration built up inside him.

Logan glanced at Janus’s hands. “Oh no, I didn’t mean to make you upset.”

Another jolt of guilt shot through Janus. He stilled his hands in hopes that it would make Logan less upset, but that only seemed to worsen the situation.

“No, Jan, I didn’t mean for you to stop,” Logan said frantically. “Sorry, sorry. Stim if you want to. It’s okay. I won’t stop you.”

Janus wrung his hands together and bounced his leg up and down instead. He took a deep breath. He didn’t like arguing with Logan because they both ended up walking on eggshells around each other. Neither of them liked confrontation of any sort. They never wanted to anger each other, even though it would take a lot to actually make each other mad. They could usually work things out between themselves, but this was one topic that Logan was always too afraid to touch. Janus would have to extend the olive branch first on this one.

They sat in silence for a little while as Janus tried to think of something to say.

“Logan,” he said finally, “if you don’t mind me asking, what about this is making you upset?”

Logan’s grip on the steering wheel tightened. He bit his lip and averted his gaze as if he was nervous, or even afraid to say anything.

“Darling,” Janus said, “you can tell me. I won’t get mad, no matter what it is. I promise.”

Logan still hesitated, but he loosened his grip on the steering wheel. “I’m wondering why you chose to let Emile tell Magi and Teal about the Poison Dart situation when you haven’t ever told me about it. I know I’m not high up in Chimera, and Magi and Teal are much more loyal to Chimera than I am, since they don’t work for any other gangs, but...” He shook his head. “I don’t know. I feel like it’s unfair, even though it makes perfect logical sense to tell them about something they need to know if they’re going to be running Chimera while you’re out of the office. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t feel like it’s unfair.”

Janus felt a pang of guilt, even though he knew that he hadn’t directly caused Logan’s distress. He set a hand on Logan’s shoulder. “Logan, you don’t have to be sorry about the way you feel. If you feel that it’s unfair, that’s perfectly fine. You’re allowed to feel the way you feel.”

Logan tapped his fingers on the steering wheel. “It still doesn’t feel like I can.”

Janus’s heart pinched. “You’re allowed to have emotions, dear. Damn the person who ever convinced you otherwise.”

Logan raked a hand through his hair in frustration and let it stay there, fingers tangled in his brown locks. “I know I shouldn’t expect you to tell me anything. I know I’m not as important to Chimera as Teal and Magi, but I just want to _know_ things, and it frustrates me when I can’t know. I’m sorry.”

Janus squeezed Logan’s shoulder. “I know, honey. I’m sorry that I can’t tell you more.”

“Don’t apologize, this isn’t your fault,” Logan sighed. “I really shouldn’t have even said anything. I’m sorry.”

“You apologize too much, darling,” Janus said, shaking his head.

“Then what am I supposed to say?” Logan huffed. He straightened his tie. “I don’t know how to fix this, but I should. I’m prying into your business. I’m upset over nothing, and I’m insisting you tell me things that I shouldn’t know about, and...” He grimaced. “God, I can’t even figure out how I’m supposed to feel about anything. Just tell me that I’m overreacting and I need to calm down or something. I need to know how I’m supposed to feel.”

Janus moved his hand from Logan’s shoulder to his hand. He gave it a light squeeze. “Moonlight, I’m not going to tell you how to feel. You’re allowed to feel however you want.”

Logan grit his teeth and straightened his tie again. “But I...” He trailed off. “Wait, what time is it?”

Janus had no idea how that was important, but he glanced at his phone. “Quarter to five. Why?”

“Drama practice should be done by now.”

Janus’s eyes widened. He glanced frantically around the parking lot, searching for any sign of Roman or Remus. They were nowhere to be seen.

“We’ll have to continue this conversation later,” Janus whispered.

*******

Roman burst into the auditorium with a wide grin. “Hey guys!”

Remus watched as a dozen kids flocked around Roman, shouting greetings and high-fiving him. Remus rolled his eyes. Roman had only met these kids a few times before, and he was already treating them like they were his best friends. Roman could find a way to make friends with a literal trash can.

Remus hugged his script close to his chest, watching as Roman easily socialized with the other kids. Remus... didn’t quite remember how he’d gotten here at the school. He’d only come to as he and Roman stepped through the doors. An inkling of excitement had lingered in the back of his head as he walked in, but now that was gone, leaving him as a bundle of anxious nerves with no recollection as to how he ended up in the auditorium at school.

“You two didn’t show up on Monday.”

Remus tensed at the sound of a woman’s voice right behind him. He slowly turned around, trying to ignore the way his instincts were screaming at him to run away and hide. Their drama instructor, Mrs. Magenta, stood right behind him, a copy of the play’s script tucked in her arm.

Remus automatically backed away. “I, uh...”

He didn’t get to finish his sentence. He tripped over his own feet and went tumbling to the ground. Pain spiked through his knee and he hissed. He dropped his script to clutch his leg.

“Oh, are you okay?” Mrs. Magenta asked.

Remus nodded and pushed himself to his feet, ignoring the pain. “Yeah, I’m good. Sorry.” He scooped up his script and held it close to his chest.

“No need to apologize, Remus,” she said with a smile. “If you don’t mind me asking, why did you and Roman not show up for practice on Monday?”

Remus hesitated. He didn’t like talking to women, but he didn’t have much of a choice.

“Something happened with our dad on Monday,” Remus admitted. “We have to stay with a babysitter for a while.”

Sympathy flashed across her face. “Oh dear, I’m sorry. Is your father okay?”

Remus scratched the back of his neck. “I think so. Maybe. We can’t see him right now. It’s complicated.”

Mrs. Magenta put a hand to her chest and nodded, looking at him with pity. “I totally understand, Remus. If you and Roman need to excuse yourselves for whatever reason, don’t hesitate to let me know. Why don’t you go join the others? We’ll start reading over our lines soon.”

Remus hurried off to join the rest of the actors. He stood at the outskirts of the group. None of the others acknowledged him, but Roman caught his eye in the crowd and waved him over.

Remus grimaced and gently pushed through the crowd to reach him. Roman wrapped an arm around Remus’s shoulders, grinning wide.

“Dude, you gotta talk to some people,” he whispered. “You’re gonna have to interact with your pirate crew anyway.”

Remus plastered on a smile. “It’s okay. I’ll be fine.”

Roman nodded towards one of the kids standing nearby that Remus hadn’t noticed. The kid was looking at them expectantly like he was waiting to speak. “This is Toby,” Roman said.

Toby smiled and held out a hand. “Hey. You’re Remus, right?”

Remus swallowed nervously. What kind of kid shook hands like an adult?

He grasped Toby’s hand to shake it. His intrusive thoughts jutted in, pushing him to _grab Toby’s hand so tight his fingers break, twist it until his wrist snaps, dig your nails into his skin until he bleeds_. Remus let go of Toby’s hand as quickly as he could.

“You’re playing Captain Hook?” Toby asked.

Remus nodded. “Yeah. You?”

“I’m Smee. You’re lucky, man. I wanted to be Hook.”

Remus could only muster an awkward chuckle at that. “Sorry I took your role. I bet you’d make a really good Hook.”

Toby shrugged. “I’m not too picky about it. I’m only in drama for fun, anyway. I’d even be okay with playing Wendy. I think I’d look good in a dress.”

Roman laughed at that. Remus held his script tighter. Why couldn’t they just start going over their lines now? He felt so much more at ease when he was playing a role.

He flinched when he heard Mrs. Magenta shout. “Okay kids! We’re about to start going through the next part of our script. I have an assistant with me today. This is my intern, Ms. Sharp!”

A young woman with flaming orange hair smiled and waved at the kids. “Hello! I’m so glad to be here. I look forward to working with each and every one of you!”

 _I don’t trust her,_ said a little voice in the back of his head, and Remus had to agree. He really got a bad vibe from this woman.

“Open your scripts to the page you bookmarked last time,” Mrs. Magenta called out.

The kids all sat down in the chairs as Mrs. Magenta and Ms. Sharp stood at the front of the auditorium. Everyone flipped open their scripts. Remus scanned the page he’d landed on for any of his lines.

Toby squinted down at his script. “Mrs. Magenta, we don’t have actors for Tigerlily or Great Big Little Panther.”

Mrs. Magenta chuckled nervously. “Yeah, we don’t have a big enough cast for them. I was thinking we could just borrow some of the Lost Boys or the pirates to fill their roles, but I might do some script revisions and remove them all together.” She flipped through a couple pages. “This play is very racially insensitive.”

Ms. Sharp tilted her head. “Why did we choose to perform Peter Pan?”

“The principal decides what we do,” Mrs. Magenta sighed. “Anyway, we’re skipping past that part for now until I can figure out what to do with it. Take it away, Peter!”

Roman jumped and looked up. “Oh, sorry.” He flipped through a couple pages, glancing over Toby’s shoulder to make sure he landed on the right one. He cleared his throat and spoke in a clear, loud voice. “Okay everybody, hang on tight! I’m taking you to the Lost Boys!”

Mrs. Magenta turned the page. “Peter and the kids go offstage.” She pointed to another kid. “Stellar?”

The kid playing the voice of Stellar shrank in her seat and mumbled her line. Remus could hardly hear her.

Mrs. Magenta pointed to Remus and Toby. “Hook and Smee enter!”

Remus shook off his anxiety. He followed the words with his finger as he read out loud. After he finished his line, he glanced up, wondering if maybe he put too much enthusiasm into his voice or not enough. Roman gave him a thumbs up as Toby read out his own lines.

Remus and Toby finished up their little scene, and the Lost Boys took centre stage. Toby leaned past Roman to look at Remus. “You did really good, man.”

Remus managed a smile. “Thanks. You too.”

They fell silent again as the Lost Boys continued with their scene. Remus turned his gaze to Ms. Sharp. His heart skipped a beat when he saw that she was staring right at him. He averted his gaze.

He tried to focus on the play, but when he looked up again, Ms. Sharp was staring at Roman. Remus glared at her. Something was up with this lady.

Mrs. Magenta raised a brow at her script. “Hmm, we can’t do this scene without a Tigerlily. I’ll edit this scene later. Ms. Sharp, could you read for Tigerlily for now please?”

“Sure.” Ms. Sharp cleared her throat. “Help! Help!” she cried out her lines.

“Why, that’s Tigerlily!” Roman gasped.

Remus skimmed the next page for his lines. He shot a wary glance up at Ms. Sharp. There wasn’t anything specific about her that set him off, but he still didn’t trust her. He turned his attention back to his script as he and Toby entered the scene. Remus winced nearly every time Ms. Sharp’s loud voice boomed through the auditorium.

Eventually, Mrs. Magenta told them all to take a water break. Remus stuck close to Roman, keeping one eye on Ms. Sharp as the kids dispersed. “Ro?”

“Yeah?”

“Something’s weird about Ms. Sharp,” Remus said. “She was staring at us. I get a bad vibe from her.”

Roman shrugged. “I’m sure she’s fine. She’s just an intern anyway. She’s not gonna be here for the full year. I don’t think.”

Remus huffed. “Dude, there’s something up with her.”

“Come on, man. What is it about her that’s so bad?” Roman gestured to Ms. Sharp, who was writing on her script. An orange wristband swung on her arm as she scribbled on the paper.

“I don’t know specifically,” Remus admitted. “She’s just... off.”

Roman put a hand on Remus’s shoulder. “Chill, Ree. She’s just a teacher.”

“You’re not listening to me,” Remus protested. “There’s something up with her. Trust me.”

Roman heaved a frustrated sigh. “Remus, come on. Just because you’re scared of women doesn’t mean there’s something wrong with the intern!”

The kids around them turned to look at the twins. Remus tensed at their gazes. He wished Roman hadn’t spoken so loud.

Remus hugged his script to his chest. “Right. Sorry.”

Roman’s face fell. “Remus, I didn’t mean to—”

Remus turned and walked back to his seat in the auditorium. The rest of drama practice went relatively smooth, but Remus couldn’t get Ms. Sharp out of his head. Every time he looked up, she was looking right back at him. She kept glancing away at the last second, but it was very obvious that she was looking at him. When she wasn’t looking at him, she was looking at Roman.

It felt like ages before practice was finally done. Everyone bookmarked their places in their scripts so they could finish running through it next Monday. Roman said goodbye a dozen times before he and Remus could make their way to the door. Remus was ready to sprint out into the parking lot, but he stopped in his tracks when Ms. Sharp’s voice shouted out his name.

Remus and Roman both stopped before they could leave the auditorium. Remus watched Mrs. Magenta leave and wished she had stayed for a bit longer. He didn’t like her much either, but he would have preferred her over Ms. Sharp.

Ms. Sharp beamed at the two of them. “You two did a phenomenal job today. You’re both very talented actors.”

Roman smiled at the praise. “Thank you! You did a good job as Tigerlily yourself.”

Ms. Sharp waved a hand. “Oh, thank you, but I was nowhere near as good as you two. You make wonderful foils against each other. I take it you two have been acting together for a while.”

“Actually, this is our first year in drama,” Roman corrected.

“Well, colour me surprised,” Ms. Sharp said. “You two are so talented, I would have thought you’ve been acting for years!”

Roman scratched the back of his neck, a bashful smile on his face. “Oh, thanks.”

Remus grit his teeth. He wanted to leave right now. He desperately wanted Roman to stop talking to this lady.

Ms. Sharp’s eyes widened. “Oh, shoot, I forgot to ask earlier before everyone left. I’ve already bought some props I want to use for the play, but I left the boxes in my car and I was hoping to bring them in today so I can talk to Mrs. Magenta about them. I was going to ask her to help me grab them so I could show her after practice.”

“We’ll help you take them in!” Roman piped up before Remus could say a word.

Ms. Sharp clasped her hands together. “Aren’t you a sweetheart! Are you sure you two will be able to carry some boxes?”

“Absolutely.”

 _We need to leave,_ said the little voice in Remus’s head. He wanted to run out of the school and go right to Logan’s car. This lady they didn’t even know was asking them to go to her car. How did Roman not find this suspicious?

“We should probably be getting home, actually,” Remus said.

Roman elbowed Remus in the side. “Oh, come on, I’m sure we can take a few minutes to help.”

Ms. Sharp started for the auditorium door. “Thank you two so much. You are too kind.”

Roman followed after her, and Remus had no choice but to do the same. He wasn’t going to leave Roman alone with this woman. Roman trusted adults too much. That was going to get himself in trouble one of these days, and Remus didn’t want today to be that day.

Roman followed after her, and Remus had no choice but to do the same. He wasn’t going to leave Roman alone with this woman. Roman trusted adults too much. That was going to get himself in trouble one of these days, and Remus didn’t want today to be that day.

 _You forgot your script,_ the little voice reminded him.

“Um, I forgot my script,” Remus said. “Can we go get it?”

“We’ll come back in and get it,” Ms. Sharp said. “Don’t worry.”

They turned down a hallway, and Remus narrowed his eyes. “The parking lot is that way,” he said, pointing in the opposite direction.

“I used the teachers’ parking lot,” Ms. Sharp said. “It’s just this way.”

Remus glanced over at Roman. He still didn’t seem to find anything wrong with this situation. Remus resisted the urge to tear his own hair out in frustration.

They stepped outside. Ms. Sharp made a beeline for a small car near the edge of the parking lot. Roman trailed after her and Remus followed, albeit reluctantly.

Ms. Sharp opened up her trunk. “They’re just in here.”

Roman and Remus both approached the trunk. A pit of dread settled into Remus’s stomach when he noticed that the trunk was actually empty.

Roman furrowed his brow. “Wh... where are the—”

He interrupted his own sentence by a yelp. Remus felt himself being lifted into the air and shrieked in surprise. “Hey! Put me down!” He tried to twist around to see who had grabbed him, but the person pinned his arms to his sides and held him tight.

“Sorry, kids,” Ms. Sharp’s voice said behind them, “but I’ve got a job to do.” She passed by their field of vision as she walked to her car door. “A pity, really. You are talented actors.”

She slid into the drivers’ seat. Remus opened his mouth to scream, hoping someone was nearby and would hear, but the person holding him smacked their hand over his mouth. He squirmed and tried to bite down on it, but someone rolled up his sleeve and a sharp pain shot through his arm. His arms went limp. He tried harder to squirm, but he only managed to weakly kick his legs. He felt like he was floating outside of his own body. That was usually a normal sensation for him, but the fact that it was brought on by whatever was injected into him made it worse. He couldn’t force himself to move no matter how hard he tried.

“Put them in the trunk,” Ms. Sharp’s voice snapped. “Hopefully, Patton Hart will be willing to give himself up once he sees what we have.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me writing this chapter: Logan is pretty much the only functioning character in this entire fic  
> me: what if i were to  
> me: perhaps  
> me: give him some  
> me: i n s e c u r i t i e s  
> *accidentally gives him an entire inferiority complex*


	34. Fuck The Police (But Not Literally, Definitely Not Literally)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Remy is presented with a choice he never wanted to make.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warning: there is smoking in this chapter, but that's pretty much it. buckle your seatbelts and get ready for some extreme gay tension
> 
> in other news, i'm currently writing chapter 55 of this fic and i'm pretty sure the whole fic is just about done. i've already been planning for the sequel and i am SO looking forward to writing it

Remy hated police, but he hated them even more when they were questioning him about shit he wasn’t going to tell them.

Thomas was taken away in an ambulance, and only through sheer stubbornness and some quickly fabricated documents that claimed she was Thomas’ cousin was Andy allowed to go with him. The paramedics all seemed suspicious of that since they two of them looked absolutely nothing alike, but they couldn’t force her to stay behind.

That left Remy to stay on the crash site and lie through some questions. No, he didn’t know who shot the car. No, Thomas and Andy weren’t the only ones in the car, but Remy had no idea where the other passenger went. No, Remy didn’t know why someone would shoot the car and try to kill Thomas. Yes, Remy was behind the car on his bike when the crash happened, but he didn’t know what caused it until he saw the bullet hole in the windshield. No, there was no one he suspected that would have caused this.

Remy grimaced as a detective proceeded to grill him for answers. There was only so much that he knew, and the stuff he did know, he wasn’t about to tell to some cop who wasn’t involved in his business. He glanced over to the wrecked car, where more police officers were searching the wreckage.

The detective asked him another stupid question and Remy heaved a sigh. “Look, I don’t know everything. I know about as much as you do. Can I go?”

The detective looked like she was about to respond, but she was cut off when someone else strode up to them. “I’ll take it from here,” Ace Spencer said.

The detective raised an eyebrow, but he backed off. Ace crossed his arms and stood in front of Remy. Remy had to look up to glare at Ace. He hated that this prick was taller than him, but then again, most people were taller than him.

“So, you got yourself into some trouble,” Ace said.

Remy shoved his hands into his pockets. “What’s it to you?”

Ace rolled his eyes. “Look, Dormir, I can help you. I know it was probably one of my buddies who did this, and I’m looking to let them off the hook anyway. But you and I have a deal. You help me track down some people, I leave Patton Hart alone. I’m going to try to get you out of this mess.”

“I don’t trust you,” Remy scoffed.

Ace grinned. “I wouldn’t trust me either. Just be careful. Someone wants to take you to the station for questioning, so just answer her questions, and I’ll get you out later.”

Remy wanted to punch Ace. Really? Someone wanted to take him in for questioning? Why? It would just be a waste of time!

However, he couldn’t punch Ace without getting arrested for assaulting a cop, so he settled for a withering glare as Ace walked off. He had to go to the Critic House to make sure Patton was okay. He didn’t have time to get questioned.

A heavy hand gripped his shoulder. “Excuse me, sir.”

Remy stifled a frustrated groan and turned around. “What?”

His heart nearly stopped when he saw who stood behind him. A familiar policewoman had grabbed his shoulder. A bright orange wristband glared at him from her wrist.

She smiled. “I’m going to have to ask you to come with me.”

*******

Remy grit his teeth through the pain in his wrists. He already hated that he was stuck in an interrogation room, but did that cop really have to handcuff him?

Remy was alone in the interrogation room and had been for about ten minutes. The cop who had decided to question him had just thrown him into the room and left. He had no idea what she was doing or why. He almost hoped she would come back and question him just so he could get this over with and go back to Patton.

The door swung open and Remy looked up, hoping to see the cop that had taken him in, but his hope turned to annoyance when he saw someone else in the doorway. “The hell do you want?”

Ace strolled into the room and grabbed the chair opposite Remy. He turned it around and sat so he was straddling the back of the chair. “Just to talk. I’m not the one who wants to question you. That’s Officer Chandler’s job.”

“Chandler? That’s the name of the bitch who’s working with Wrath?”

Ace raised his hands. “Hey, I didn’t know she worked for Wrath. I’m just here to discuss the deal we have.”

Remy leaned back in his seat. “Let me guess: you’ve already said you’ll leave Patton alone and in return I’ll help you track down some people, but now you want more than just a little help, right?”

Ace shrugged. “I wouldn’t mind a little extra something.”

“I’m not gonna have sex with you just because you won’t kill my friend.”

Ace spread his hands. “Oh come on, you don’t know that’s what I was going to say.”

“Is it what you were going to say?”

Ace paused. “Maybe. But was I really the worst fuck you’ve ever had?”

Remy narrowed his eyes. “You were better than some. But I’m not stooping that low just because you won’t turn in Patton for money.”

“Well, I am giving up a lot of possible money by leaving Patton alone. I think I deserve something for making such a big sacrifice.”

“I’ll take you for a ride on my bike,” Remy offered.

Ace’s face brightened. “You’ve got a fucking deal.”

“But,” Remy said, “if I do that, I would also like to ask something of you.”

Ace raised a brow. “What is it?”

“How attached are you to the people you work with?”

“Not that attached, honestly. I’m just work partners with most of them. We track people down and split the bounties. That’s it. Why?”

“I want you to let me talk to Pryce Princeton,” Remy requested.

Ace smirked. “Princey, huh? Why’s that?”

“Let’s say I’ve got some personal issues with her.”

“And by ‘talk’ to her, do you mean...?”

“She might not be breathing by the end of our talk.”

Ace’s grin widened. He chuckled. “You haven’t changed a bit, have you?”

“Guess not.”

“I could probably get her to talk to you,” Ace said. “But I won’t clean up the blood afterward.”

“Fine by me.”

Ace rested his chin on his hand and leveled his gaze at Remy. After a few seconds of silence, Remy spoke up.

“Enjoying the view?”

Ace hummed. “It’s been a while since I’ve seen you in handcuffs.”

Remy rolled his eyes. “Don’t make that sound sexual. You arrested me, you asshole.”

Ace snickered at Remy’s annoyance. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a packet of cigarettes. “You still smoke?”

“I don’t think you’re allowed to do that inside,” Remy reminded him.

Ace shrugged and stuck a cigarette in his mouth. “Does it look like I give a shit?”

“Nope.” Remy watched as Ace lit his cigarette. “So, are you done talking to me, or...?”

“Depends.” Ace blew a plume of smoke into the air. “Do you want me to be done talking to you? Because the second I’m done, someone else is coming in to question you.”

Remy sighed, considering his options. Ace took the cigarette from his mouth. He turned it around and held the end up to Remy’s mouth. Remy automatically leaned forward and took a drag. He blew the smoke right in Ace’s face, but Ace just smirked.

“You’re probably better company than the asshole working for Wrath,” Remy admitted.

“Probably.” Ace turned the cigarette back around and stuck it in his mouth. “She seemed a bit pissed last I saw her. You need to stop backtalking cops, man.”

Remy snorted. “Are you telling me I have to start watching my mouth?”

“Couldn’t hurt to give it a try.” Ace stood. He grabbed the back of his chair and turned it back around so it was facing the right way. He walked around the table towards Remy, taking the cigarette from his mouth along the way. He held the unlit end to Remy. “I’ll talk to you later, Dormir.”

Remy eyed the cigarette warily. He glanced up at Ace and raised an eyebrow.

Ace cocked his head innocently. “What?”

Remy took the cigarette in his mouth and tugged it out of Ace’s hand. He raised his cuffed hands to hold it so it didn’t fall.

He took a drag and blew the smoke at Ace. “I can smoke on my own, thanks.”

Ace’s face split into a smile. He turned and walked to the door. Remy glared after him. God, Ace was such a fucking asshole. Remy had nearly forgotten why he’d stopped talking to the guy ages ago.

Ace left the room, but the door didn’t swing shut. Someone else yanked it back open and stepped into the room.

The cop smiled as she walked through the door. “Doc Martens guy. Didn’t think I’d be seeing you again.”

“I was counting on that,” Remy shot back. “So, your name’s Chandler, huh? Mind if I call you Heather?”

The cop sat down in the chair across the table. She rested her elbows on the tabletop and leaned towards him, still grinning. Remy found himself missing Ace’s company, despite how much he hated him. Remy did not want to be stuck in a small room with this person.

“So,” Chandler started. “You know Patton Hart.”

“What does it matter?” Remy asked.

Chandler narrowed her eyes. “You know why it matters. Wrath’s Blade wants him. So where is he?”

“I won’t tell you,” Remy said. “Besides, everyone’s going to know where he is soon, anyway. It’s not gonna be hard to find him.”

Chandler blinked. A look of understanding flashed across her face. “He’s at the Critic House.”

“Wow, you’re smarter than I thought. Congrats.”

Oddly enough, the cop’s smile only widened. “Him being at the Critic House doesn’t deter us at all.”

“You do know that you can’t kidnap him there, right?”

“Oh, we know. But there are no rules about kidnapping someone he knows who isn’t in the Critic House.”

Remy raised Ace’s cigarette to his mouth and inhaled. “Let me guess, you have me, so now I’m a bargaining chip to get him out of the Critic House, right?”

“Wow, you’re smarter than I thought,” Chandler said in a high, mocking voice. “Congrats.” She leaned back and crossed her legs. “But in all honesty, I don’t know how useful you’ll actually be. We may not need you at all.”

Now Remy was confused. “What? Why not? What do you mean?”

Chandler just smiled at him. The teeniest bit of fear planted itself in Remy’s head. “What do you mean?” he repeated firmly.

Chandler leaned forward, her bright eyes piercing right through him. “You’re not the only bargaining chip we have on the table.”

A jolt of panic shot through Remy. “Who else do you have?” he demanded.

“Wouldn’t you like to know?”

“Yeah, that’s why I’m asking!” Remy burst. “Who is it?”

Chandler leaned back again. “If things go the way we want—and they already have, for the most part—we’ll have two precious little darlings I’m sure Patton Hart would just _love_ to give himself up for. Why, they’re part of the reason he left his home city in the first place. To keep them safe.” Her grin widened. “I sure hope he remembers that we have no problems with kidnapping children.”

Remy’s blood ran cold. “You have the twins,” he whispered. He couldn’t bring himself to speak louder than that. Wrath had Roman and Remus. _Wrath had Roman and Remus._

Chandler raised an eyebrow. “Are they twins? Hmm, Sharp hadn’t mentioned that when she called me. Interesting. Either way, we have them, so we might not need you at all.”

“Let them go,” Remy blurted. “You have me. You don’t need them.”

Chandler shrugged. “It couldn’t hurt to have more than one hostage to work with. Besides, I’ve got ideas as to what you could do for us. You seem attached to these two kids as well. Am I correct in assuming that you know them?”

Remy said nothing. He didn’t want to give her any more advantages than she already had.

“You might want to answer my questions, Docs,” she said. “I can contact the people who have these kids and ask them to give you some incentive to respond. Maybe you’ll be more inclined to help if these twins start losing some fingers?”

An ice cold wave of horror washed over Remy. “You wouldn’t. Not for something this small.”

“I’ve cut the fingers off people who have looked at me wrong,” Chandler snorted. “You really think I wouldn’t have someone harm your kids for not answering my questions?” She sighed. “But I guess you’ve already answered my question. You do know them. But I have something else to ask you. Just how far would you go to keep these kids safe? Be honest.”

Remy hesitated. “Just about anything,” he admitted reluctantly. He turned the cigarette in his fingers. He stamped it out on the table. Smoke trailed into the air from the burnt stub.

“So, if I say ‘jump’...”

Remy grimaced. “How high?”

Chandler chuckled. She looked like she was having way too much fun with this. “You have two choices, Docs. You can let Patton Hart stay safe and sound in the Critic House and not even tell him that his precious kids are in danger, condemning the children to days of torture until they die. Or you can tell him the consequences if he doesn’t turn himself in, giving him to us and freeing these kids you care about so much. A hard decision, I know. Which is why I’ll be keeping you in a holding cell overnight so you can mull it over. If you haven’t made your choice by morning, we’ll simply track Patton down ourselves, tell him about his kids, take him in, and then kill you and the twins.”

She pushed her chair back and stood up. “Their lives are in your hands, Docs. Don’t fuck it up.”

She strode across the room and left. The door banged shut with the finality of a judge sentencing someone to death.

Remy stared down at the table through his sunglasses. He waited as his brain processed everything that he’d just been told.

Keeping Patton and his kids safe just became a lot more difficult.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *holds up Remy and Ace* these two have a ✨history✨


	35. Don't Tell Virgil, But His Brothers Were Kidnapped

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Determined to find the kids, Janus gathers up every available agent in Chimera to help. Logan searches for Roman and Remus in every camera system he can find. Andy receives an interesting message in her inbox.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
> 
> anyway i just finished writing this entire fic a few days ago and i am absolutely ECSTATIC about it!! it's a bit longer than i intended, about 56 chapters, but i hope i managed to tie up all the loose ends. even though i've finished writing all the chapters, updates will continue on their usual schedule because now i need to start planning for the sequel and i've got a few other things i want to write. it's been a while since i wrote something for my Flores Facets series, so that's what i'm going to be focusing on for a week or two.

Janus and Logan burst into the school in a panicked frenzy. “Where do they practice?”

“The auditorium,” Logan answered. He hurried down the hall as fast as the still healing wound in his side would let him.

Janus tried to match his pace. He tried his hardest to keep his hands still, as flapping them would only get him some weird looks from whatever teachers were still lingering in the building. He hoped no one would try to question them as to why they were here.

Logan opened the door to the auditorium. Janus followed him inside, praying that the drama instructor was still there so they could ask some questions.

Luckily, they spotted a teacher in a purple dress walking through the aisles of chairs, picking up discarded scripts and mumbling to herself. Janus and Logan rushed towards her.

“Magenta,” Logan called.

The woman looked up. “Logan. What are you doing here? I thought you were on sick leave.”

“I had to take a leave for some personal reasons,” Logan said. “I told you earlier this year that I help homeschool Roman, Remus, and their brother every second day, correct?”

“Yes.” Magenta’s grip tightened on the scripts in her hands. “Oh, are you the one who’s taking care of them? Remus mentioned that something happened with their father.”

“Actually, the duty of babysitting the kids has been left with my partner, Janus Chimera.” Logan gestured to Janus. “We were both waiting for the kids in the parking lot, but they never showed. Do you have idea where they might have gone?”

Worry flashed across Magenta’s face. “Oh dear. I thought they’d already gone home. Can you call them?”

“Neither of them have phones,” Logan said.

Magenta tapped her fingernails on the scripts. “Oh, goodness. Last I saw them, they were talking to my intern. I had to go put my things back in my classroom. When I got back here, they were gone, so I thought everyone went home.”

Janus resisted the urge to flap his hands. “We don’t know where they are. Please, I need to make sure these children are alright.”

“Could we perhaps ask your intern where they might be?” Logan asked.

“Absolutely. She might be in my classroom if she hasn’t already gone home.”

“Thank you.” Logan turned. “Come on, Jan.”

Janus followed Logan out of the auditorium. They found Magenta’s classroom quickly. One peek through the door told them that Magenta’s intern wasn’t in there.

Janus made a distressed whining sound in his throat. “Where could they be?”

Logan led Janus back out to the parking lot. “I’m going to get my laptop. I might be able to get into the school’s cameras so we can figure out where they were last.”

They rushed out of the school and back to their car. Logan grabbed his laptop from the backseat and started typing before he even sat back down in the driver’s seat. Janus clambered into the passenger seat to peer over Logan’s shoulder. Every tap of his keys felt like a lifetime. 

“Got it.” Logan shifted the laptop to let Janus see easier. “They were in the auditorium talking to this woman. The footage is from seven minutes ago.”

Janus squinted at the screen. A ginger woman stood in the auditorium, talking to the twins. Remus shifted his weight as if he was uneasy, but Roman smiled as he spoke with the woman. Janus couldn’t hear what they were saying, but Roman look absolutely delighted to be speaking with someone.

The woman led the kids out of the auditorium. Logan switched between the cameras as the three of them walked through the hallways. They approached a door, and Logan brought up another camera view, this one in another parking lot outside. Janus watched with growing anxiety as the ginger woman led Roman and Remus to a car. He saw two people enter the frame from the side, and he wanted to scream at the screen, telling the twins to run, but he could do nothing but watch as the two newcomers grabbed the kids. Remus flailed and opened his mouth to scream, but the person who had grabbed him rolled up his sleeve and jabbed a needle in his arm. Remus went limp, as did Roman. The people shoved them in the trunk of the car before climbing into the backseat. The woman drove off.

Janus bounced his leg up and down. “You got her license plate?”

“Yep.” Logan paused the video feed and zoomed in on the plate on the back of the car as it drove away. “I’m going to need you to drive so I can track them down.”

Janus and Logan quickly switched seats. Janus backed out of the parking lot and drove out into the street. He might have gone a little over the speed limit, but a speeding ticket was the least of his worries.

“Where are we going?” Janus asked.

“I’m getting into the street cameras and trying to find them. And we _will_ find them. Even if I have to break down Wrath’s door myself.”

Janus turned on his turn signal. “While you’re doing that, we’re stopping by the bank. If we’re going to do a rescue mission, we’re going to need some help.”

“Good idea.” Logan’s fingers danced on the keys of his laptop. “If it’s Wrath we’re dealing with here, we’re going to need the backup. Should we bring in D.W. for help?”

“No, she’s had a hard day. We can handle this. And we’re not telling Virgil about this until his brothers are safe. I don’t want him to panic.”

Logan nodded once. “Got it.”

*******

“I want every available hacker we have going through the street cameras and every other camera system they can get into. If you can get into Wrath’s systems, that’s even better. I need to find out where this woman took these kids as soon as fucking possible.”

Logan sat back in his chair and focused on his screen as Janus barked orders to the rest of Chimera. As soon as he and Janus arrived at the bank, Janus called an emergency meeting and gathered every available employee in the main staff room. The staff room wasn’t exactly one that would be seen in any ordinary workplace. A large table dominated the room, surrounded by as many chairs as they could possibly fit around it. It mostly served as a meeting room rather than a break room. Every important meeting in this branch of Chimera was held here. Every single chair was occupied at the moment, and other agents that didn’t have a seat simply stood by and listened to Janus speak.

As Logan rapidly flicked through different cameras and tried to hack into others, he let Janus’s voice stay mostly in the background of his focus. That was a bit difficult, however, because his voice was loud and unrestrained, which was rare happenstance. He must have been just as determined to find the kids as Logan was.

Logan almost wanted to throw his laptop. He had seen footage of the car driving down the streets towards the southern end of the city, but he couldn’t figure out any more than that. Every time he tried to find footage from the time that the car should have passed by a specific camera, nothing came up. It was like someone had gone in and erased it before he could find it.

“While you are all working on that,” Janus continued, “I am going to get as much backup as possible in case we do need to break into Wrath’s headquarters. I need all of you to try as hard as humanly possible to find these kids. I am not going to rest until we at _least_ know if they’re alive.”

Logan grit his teeth in frustration when the cameras came up with nothing again. Someone must have already gone in and deleted the footage that was tracking the car. That was the only explanation he could think of. But even then, he should still be able to find it. Everything connected to a network still existed to some degree, whether it was deleted or not. He should have been able to dig it up, but somehow, it was impossible. Was there something he had to do that he didn’t know about? He had done everything he could think of to retrieve the street camera footage he was missing, but nothing worked no matter how many times he tried.

Logan pushed his laptop away from him and put his face in his hands. He couldn’t find them. He couldn’t do it. What was he missing? What couldn’t he do? Was he just not skilled enough? Were there some hacking techniques he just didn’t know about?

He raised his head again. That might actually be it. He was well aware that despite his skill, he was not the best hacker in the business, not by a long shot. Perhaps he just needed someone who had a little more expertise.

But who to ask? He wasn’t familiar with any other hackers personally, aside from others employed by Chimera. Janus might know of some people, but the man was busy giving everyone descriptions of what to look for and instructions on what to do, so Logan wasn’t about to bother him. Teal, Magi, and all the other agents present were listening intently, and if they were going to help, they needed to listen to Janus. Logan wouldn’t distract them.

In an act of desperation, Logan opened up a dark web tab and loaded the hacker forums he frequented. He went to his most recent messages and scrolled through them. Someone there might be better at this than he was. Scrolling through his DMs, however, he couldn’t think of anyone who might be more skilled and willing to help him. He might just have to hire someone.

He was about to close the forums again when he spotted his most recent message. His cursor hovered over the conversation he had with the user “MyChemicalAnxiety” over Patton’s state of wellbeing. Perhaps...

He clicked on the messages. He hesitated, fingers resting on the keys of his laptop. Maybe this wasn’t the best idea. This was Chimera and Wrath business. Getting others involved might only worsen the situation.

But then again, he really did need help.

Logan wracked his brain for the right words to say. He poised his fingers over his keyboard, and after a moment’s pause, he began to type.

*******

It was insanely difficult for Andy to get into the hospital to be with Thomas. She was able to bluff her way into the ambulance, but no one in the hospital believed her when she said she was Thomas’s cousin. She couldn’t fault anyone for being observant; Thomas was the whitest bitch Andy knew, and Andy was very obviously not white. Still, it was frustrating as hell to try to convince anyone to let her in with him.

She eventually stayed in the waiting room with no idea of whether or not she would be allowed into his hospital room after the doctors removed the bullet. To keep herself distracted, she stuck her technological fingers into almost every camera in the hospital. When she got bored of that, she turned her attention to cameras in other places outside the hospital.

No matter how much she tried to distract herself, her thoughts kept wandering. They went from what condition Thomas might be in, to how Remy was doing, to Patton’s situation. Sometimes her brain turned to thoughts about Pryce, but that just made her angry and sad, so she pushed those thoughts away.

Time seemed to crawl by at a horribly slow pace, so she was relieved when a nurse walked into the waiting room and called her name.

She shoved her laptop back in her bag and stood. “Right here. I’m with Thomas Sanders?”

The nurse nodded. “Ah, right. You’re his cousin, correct?”

“Yeah. Distant cousin, but related.”

“Okay. Follow me.”

The nurse turned and walked through the door she’d just come from. Andy shouldered her laptop bag and hurried after her. They passed by a dozen doors on their way through the halls. Andy knew Thomas was likely fine, since it was only an arm wound, but she couldn’t help but be a little anxious.

The nurse led her to a door and opened it. “He’s in here.”

Andy peered inside. Sure enough, Thomas was lying on a hospital bed, unconscious. His right arm was wrapped in bandages.

Andy stepped into the room and the nurse followed. “We were able to remove the bullet easily. Nothing was damaged too badly, but it still may be difficult for him to use his right arm. He’ll be out for a bit, but he’s in a stable condition. He should be able to leave as soon as he wakes up.”

Andy breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you.”

The nurse nodded. “Would you like to stay with him until he wakes up?”

“Yeah, thanks.”

“Call for a nurse if anything happens.”

The nurse left and shut the door. Andy walked up to the bed and looked down at Thomas. The heart rate monitor next to the bed was beeping steadily, and he didn’t look dead, so Andy figured he’d be okay.

She sat down in a chair next to the bed and brought out her laptop again. She was worried about Remy, so maybe she would get into the cameras at the police station and see if he was okay.

Before she could do that, though, she wanted to check up on Patton. There were no cameras in the Critic House, so she opened the hacker forums. Typing Patton’s name into the topic search bar brought up no new posts about him being caught.

A notification on her DMs caught her eye. She didn’t often get messages here. She clicked on it.

Oddly enough, it was a user she recognized. “Logic&Crofters”, the same one she’d spoken to about Patton a couple days ago. She hadn’t expected another message from them.

She clicked on it, a little hesitant. She skimmed the message.

_By any chance, are you affiliated with Wrath’s Blade?_

Andy stared at the message, utterly confused. Why was this random person asking her about her affiliations?

She hesitated, then answered.

_no i’m not, why??_

She waited a minute for an answer and sighed when she finally got one. This person apparently liked to type. A _lot_.

_I am trying to track down a certain person who kidnapped a couple of Patton Hart’s children that Chimera is protecting. I have reason to believe that this person is working with Wrath, hence the clarification that you don’t work for them. Chimera is trying to look through street cameras in Clawmore for the vehicle the kidnapper used, but it seems someone is already trying to cover their tracks, because I can’t find the vehicle anywhere. I hate to admit it, but I don’t believe I’m skilled enough to recover this lost footage that we need, and it seems other hackers in Chimera can’t figure it out so far either. If this is up to your skill level, I would be willing to pay for your services._

Andy read the message a couple times, considering how she should respond. She knew Chimera was taking care of Patton’s kids, and the fact that this person knew that too could be sign that they were trustworthy. Then again, they could have just hacked into Chimera’s cameras the same way Andy did.

Andy absently tapped at her keys as she thought about her words. She typed out a quick response.

_this is the second time you’ve messaged me about sumn related to patton and i don’t trust it tbh. i’m gonna need some proof that i can trust u before i do anything else for u. do u rly work for chimera?_

Another message popped up after a minute of waiting.

_If you’d like, you can try to hack into Chimera’s cameras to spot me. It would show me that you’re a skilled enough hacker to help me and it would prove to you that I’m not working with Wrath._

Andy raised a brow. Hacking into Chimera’s cameras was easy, at least for her. Sure, they had dozens of protections against hackers in their systems, but Andy had loopholes into almost every major organization in the area.

She snorted. “This is your big test, Logic?” she muttered.

She pulled up multiple feeds from different cameras in Chimera. She sifted through the cameras until she found the view of the meeting room on the second floor down. Almost every person in the building was gathered there, sitting around the big table that took up most of the room. Janus Chimera himself stood at the head of the table as he shouted orders to everyone else.

There was only one person in the room that wasn’t looking at Janus. A man in a black polo shirt and a blue tie sat in the chair at Janus’s right side. The light reflected off his glasses, obscuring his gaze, but Andy could still tell he was facing the camera in the room. A laptop sat on the table in front of him.

 _found u_ , Andy typed. _guy in the blue tie, glasses, black shirt?? right next to the boss?_

The man in the camera looked down at his laptop. He typed, and a message popped up on Andy’s screen.

_How did you do that so quickly?_

_i’ve had loopholes into this place for ages. you guys have rly good security but it’s nothing i can’t get past. bet i could probably get into your laptop too :P_

_That won’t be necessary. It’s clear you’re likely able to complete the tasks I need help with._

_ight gimme some details, can’t do shit if i don’t know what i’m doin_

Andy sat back and waited as Logic&Crofters rapidly typed out a response. She watched him on her view of the cameras, just for something to do while she waited. He didn’t look anything like Andy had expected him to, but honestly, she didn’t even know what she was expecting.

She went back to her messages and saw that a new one had popped up.

_A woman who works at Sanders Middle School in Clawmore kidnapped two children. They disappeared somewhere at around 4:40 p.m., last seen with a redheaded woman who works as an intern for Magenta Lee, the drama teacher. The kids’ legal names are Roman and Remus King. They’re eleven year old Hispanic boys, both have dark brown hair and brown eyes. Remus has a bleached streak in his hair and wears a green hoodie. Roman’s hair is longer than Remus’s and he often wears a red jacket. I saw the kidnapper’s car heading to the northeast end of the city, but the camera footage I need was deleted and I can’t find the vehicle anywhere. I will send you a picture of the vehicle and license plate. Will you be able to take things from there?_

_yeah fam i got it, i’ll get back to you in a bit_

An image of a grey car in a mostly empty parking lot appeared in her messages. It was likely a photo taken from the school’s security cameras, because the quality wasn’t the greatest, but she could still make out the license plate.

Andy cracked her knuckles and got to work.


	36. Oh Shit, We've Been Kidnapped

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Remus is terrified of what might happen to him and Roman. Fortunately, Logan receives more information on where the twins might be. On the way there, Janus contacts someone he probably shouldn't be talking to, but it turns out that he may have just gotten himself a way to the kids.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> y'all i have already started writing the sequel and I AM SO EXCITED FOR IT YOU HAVE NO IDEA-
> 
> anyway, i don't think any warnings apply for this chapter, but if i've missed anything that does need a warning, let me know!!

Remus woke with a pounding headache. A dull throb settled in his arm, as if someone had jabbed a needle into it. He groaned in pain and tried to move his arms, but they wouldn’t budge.

A small jolt of panic woke him up faster. He opened his eyes, but his head spun and he squeezed them shut again. Where even was he?

“Oh look,” said a voice, one that was unfamiliar and cold. “One of them’s awake. Finally.”

Remus pried his eyes open to look around him. His vision was slightly blurry, but he squinted through it. He couldn’t see much because the room was fairly dark, but he was pretty sure there were a few other people standing around him. Two of them leaned against the wall in front of him, and the other was a vague shape in the shadows. Dark grey walls surrounded him, no door in sight.

The vague shape of a person blocked his vision as they leaned down in front of him. They snapped their fingers right in front of his face. He flinched at the sound.

“Wake up, kid,” a voice said. “We’ve got something to ask you.”

Remus shook his head to wake himself up faster. He blinked up at the person as his vision slowly cleared.

A tall ginger woman stood in front of him, an orange bracelet dangling from her wrist. Remus narrowed his eyes. It was Ms. Sharp, the intern from the school. He knew they shouldn’t have trusted her!

“Where am I?” Remus asked. Sudden panic washed over him. “Where’s Roman?”

“He’s right behind you,” Ms. Sharp said. “Still knocked out. Don’t worry about him. You should be a lot more worried about you.”

Remus shuddered. “What... why am I here? What do you want from me?”

Ms. Sharp tilted her head and gave him a mockingly sympathetic smile. “Aww, are you scared? Don’t worry, everything will be fine if you just tell us everything we want to know. Well, that and if your family does what we want.”

“Family?” Remus squeaked. “Who are you talking about?” _Please don’t take Virgil please don’t take Virgil please don’t take Virgil—_

“Your father,” Ms. Sharp said. “Patton Hart. He is your father, right?”

Remus said nothing, but the look on his face must have given him away. “Good,” she said. “We didn’t kidnap the wrong brats. Don’t worry, if he gives himself up, you two get to go free. And I believe someone in Sidehill also has a family friend of yours in her custody. Does the name Remy Dormir ring a bell?”

Remus clamped his mouth shut, refusing to say a word. Sharp narrowed her eyes and stepped closer. “Answering my question might be in your best interest. After all, I could always... oh, I don’t know, kill your brother? We really only need one of you, after all.”

“I know Remy!” Remus blurted. He couldn’t let them hurt Roman.

Sharp smiled. “Good kid. I mean, I didn’t really need you to answer that question, since Dormir himself already confirmed it when my colleague questioned him earlier, but it’s good to know he wasn’t just lying to make it seem like he was cooperating. And it’s sure lovely to see that you’re willing to do what I want to keep your brother safe.” She turned to one of the people behind her. “Ask Chandler what she’s doing with Dormir.”

Remus tried to move, but his limbs wouldn’t budge. His arms were bound to the chair he was sitting in. He struggled, but he knew it was no use. He couldn’t break out of here.

“What are you going to do to us?” Remus asked, voice shaking.

“Nothing, if everything goes right,” Sharp said. She glanced back at the person she’d spoken to. “Any response?”

“She’s typing, hang on,” the person said. They peered at their phone. “She’s keeping Dormir in a holding cell under accusations of assaulting a cop. She’s given him until tomorrow to make up his mind about what he wants to do. Justice himself approved of this.”

Sharp groaned in exasperation. “We have to keep these fucking kids until tomorrow?”

The other person shrugged. “Think so. Couldn’t we just call Patton ourselves and get him to give himself up? We don’t need Dormir to be a messenger.”

Sharp raised a brow. “Well... I am curious to see what he does. This might be interesting, I guess. And if the boss said it’s fine, we should probably go with it.” She glanced at something to the right of the room. “She say anything else?”

“If he doesn’t make a decision by tomorrow morning, she’s sending people into the Critic House to track down Patton themselves, convincing him to come with us, then killing Dormir and the kids.”

An ice cold wave of terror washed over Remus. They were going to kill him and Roman. Every instinct in his body screamed at him to run. He frantically tugged at his bonds, trying to break free.

Sharp saw this and sighed. “Calm down, kid. You’ll be fine.” She nodded towards the something she had been staring at in the right side of the room. “Or, you will be if your dad does what we want him to.”

Remus followed her gaze and his heart pounded faster. Hanging on the walls was a wide variety of guns, knives, and various tools that Remus wasn’t even sure he could name. He’d seen enough horror movies to know what those were probably for.

Adrenaline thrummed through his veins. He struggled harder even as he began to zone out. A strange presence tugged at the back of his head before yanking itself in front of him to take control of his body, shoving Remus into the backseat of his own mind. He let the new presence take over and watched as his own body kept struggling without him telling it to, feeling like he was watching himself from the outside. He wanted out of this place, out of the danger.

Sharp ran a hand through her hair. “I’ll go cover our tracks. You two stand guard outside the room.”

Sharp and the two other people in the room walked past Remus. He heard a door open and close, and then he was left alone.

His body wriggled in his chair, trying to move it. It bumped into something right behind him and he twisted around. He couldn’t see much, but he caught sight of someone’s arm tied to the chair behind his.

He managed to wrestle himself back into the front seat of his head, nudging the other presence aside to make room. “Roman?” he said. He didn’t receive a response, but he heard Roman’s shallow breathing, so at least he wasn’t dead.

Remus kept struggling. He and Roman weren’t going to die here. Not on his watch.

After that, Remus didn’t know how long he struggled for, but it was long enough that his fear slowly faded into determination and then hopelessness, although that little presence nagging at the back of his mind was still persistently present. He sat in his chair and did nothing but wish for someone to come in and save him. He cursed at himself in his head, wishing he could do more than just sit here and wait for a rescue.

Eventually, he heard Roman move behind him. Remus turned and tried to look, but it was too hard to see. He heard Roman mumble something, and Remus wiggled in his chair.

“Roman,” he whispered. “Roman, wake up. Are you awake?”

Roman grunted. “Wh...” He inhaled sharply. “Where are we? Remus?”

“I don’t know,” Remus said. “Ms. Sharp took us when we went out to her car. We’ve been here for a while. I don’t know how long. Maybe half an hour?” The thing nagging at his head forced itself to the front of his head without warning, shoving him into the back. “She’s a bitch and you never should have trusted her,” Remus heard himself saying, his voice higher than usual. “Shit like this is why you shouldn’t trust strangers. I don’t want you hurt.”

Roman’s breathing quickened. “What is she going to do with us? Are you hurt? Did she hurt you?”

Remus pushed back the thing in his head so it wouldn’t make himself say anything else stupid, but he could still feel it prodding at him. “No, I’m fine,” he managed. “You?”

“I... I think I’m okay.” Roman’s voice was shaky. “Why did she take us?”

“She’s using us to get to Patton and Remy. She said she wouldn’t hurt us, don’t worry. We’re just hostages.” Remus decided not to tell Roman that Sharp had threatened to hurt them if Patton and Remy didn’t do what she wanted. He didn’t need Roman to freak out any more than he already was.

Roman breathed a short sigh of relief. “Can we try to escape?”

“I’ve been trying, man. I don’t think we can.”

“Dang.” Roman leaned back against his chair. His head bumped the back of Remus’s. “So we’re stuck here?”

“Looks like it.”

Roman sighed. “Well, shit.”

*******

Logan waited impatiently at his laptop as the rest of the Chimera agents in the room dispersed. He didn’t know if asking this random hacker for help had been the best idea, but he hoped they could provide him with some information.

Janus took a deep breath as everyone else left the room. “Found anything?” he asked.

“Not yet,” Logan said. “The street camera footage I need has been deleted. I’m trying to recover it.”

“How long might that take?”

“I don’t know.”

Janus started fidgeting with his necklace. “Let me know as soon as you find something.”

“I will.”

“I’ll be in my office,” Janus said. He straightened his jacket and strode to the door.

Logan stayed sitting at the table in the meeting room, waiting for any response from MyChemicalAnxiety. Nothing popped up on his screen for a few minutes, and he began to think that maybe this other hacker had given up. He rocked his chair back and forth on its back legs as he waited.

His laptop pinged. His chair toppled back when he jumped at the sound, and the air left his lungs in a sharp _oof_. He scrambled to his feet, leaving the chair on the floor. He looked down at his laptop screen.

A new message from MyChemicalAnxiety had appeared. “k so here’s what i found,” it said.

Logan picked up his chair and set it upright. He sat down and waited as Anxiety typed. He couldn’t keep himself from impatiently tapping his fingers on the table.

A photo message popped up. It was a picture of a map of the entire east side of the city. Red lines trailed the streets, creating a path to the northeast end of the city. The path ended at the end of a street.

Another message appeared. _i recovered footage from the street cams but there are no cams past that point bc it’s a less populated area. Wrath’s base is somewhere around there but idk if that’s where they took the kids. i haven’t seen the kids in any cameras in their HQ, but i did find out the kidnapper’s name and general info. name’s Penny Sharp, intern at the middle school but also a higher ranked worker at Wrath. she was sent to work at the school bc Wrath found out the kids go to theatre practice there. i’m getting into her phone rn and tryna track it, let ur leader know the kids are somewhere in the east side of the city_

Logan heaved a great sigh of relief. They had a lead. They could find the twins.

Logan typed out a response. _Thank you so much. If you find anything else, please let me know. We can discuss payment later._

Logan picked up his laptop and hurried out the door. There weren’t many people in the halls, and for that he was grateful. He didn’t have to shove his way through anyone in his rush to get to Janus’s office.

He shouldered open the door to D.W.’s office and made a beeline for Janus’s door. He pushed the door open. “Jan, I have a lead.”

Janus had been sitting at his desk, working on his own computer, but he whipped his head up to look at Logan as soon as he spoke. He shot to his feet. “What?”

“They’re somewhere in the east end of the city. I’m waiting on more information.” He paused before he could continue. He probably shouldn’t tell Janus that he asked for help outside of Chimera, but saying that likely gave it away.

Janus raised a brow. “Who are you getting information from?”

“Just an acquaintance,” Logan said. “That doesn’t matter. Point is, they found a lead on where the twins are. Tell everyone else we’re going to the east end of the city. I don’t know if we need to make this a full rescue mission or a covert break in, but letting everyone know would be best. Arm yourself just in case. Tell everyone else to as well. I think Wrath...” Logan trailed off. He was just ordering Janus around. He couldn’t do that. Janus was the boss. Logan wasn’t.

“Um...” Logan swallowed nervously and took a step back. He shouldn’t tell Janus what to do.

“Darling, I trust you,” Janus said. “What should we do?”

Logan hesitated. He didn’t sense any sarcasm in Janus’s words, but it was difficult to tell with him. Janus still wasn’t looking him quite in the eye, and while Logan logically knew that Janus just couldn’t make eye contact when he was stressed, part of him wondered if he’d done something to make Janus upset.

Logan took a deep breath. “I think we should get going to the east end of the city,” he suggested.

“Sounds good to me.” Janus skirted around his desk and walked to the door. “You can direct us there, if you’d like.”

Logan didn’t know if that was an order or a suggestion or an offer, so he wasn’t quite sure how to respond. He wasn’t the best at taking charge.

He followed Janus out of the office and back into the hall. He didn’t know how this rescue mission was going to end, but for the twins’ sake, he hoped it went well.

*******

Teal was driving since both Logan and Janus were too busy to do so themselves. Magi sat in the passenger seat, armed to the teeth with as many knives and guns she could fit on her person at once. Logan was busy keeping an eye on his laptop, waiting for his hacker acquaintance to provide him with more information as he directed Teal across the city. They had two more cars of agents behind them, with the rest of Chimera ready to speed after them should they need any backup.

Janus, however, had decided to contact someone he probably shouldn’t be talking to.

He stared at his email on his phone, debating over whether or not he should send anything. This one email could completely ruin the entire working relationship between Chimera and Wrath’s Blade, but he needed to say something.

He read over his own words again.

_Dear A. Justice,  
I am aware that I have already responded to your previous email, but I believe I’ve made an error in judgement in my response. We were never planning on staying out of your business. You’re not stupid; I believe you already figured that out. However, since you have kidnapped two children that are important to me, I am willing to make you a deal. You give us these children and we will stay out of your business. We will pull agents from downtown and keep them busy uptown, and we will back off on your human trafficking business. At least consider this offer before making a decision.   
Best wishes, J. Chimera_

Janus grimaced. Of course he wasn’t really planning on leaving Wrath’s trafficking business alone, but he was willing to back away from it for a week or so if it would get Roman and Remus back safe.

He sent the email and tried to ignore the growing pit of dread in his stomach. He fiddled with the necklace Logan had given him with one hand as he waited for a response. He could be making a big mistake right now. Contacting Wrath almost never ended well. Their leader was a temperamental man.

An email appeared on his screen. His heart leaped into his throat as he tapped on it. Paragraphs of orange text glared at him through the screen.

 _My dearest, Janus Chimera,  
Janus, dear, you flatter me! Yes, I was aware that you weren’t going to stay out of my business, but I am honoured that you of all people have decided to reveal the truth to me. Thank you for informing me of this. I appreciate your honesty more than you know. Reminds me of old times!  
I am uncertain of which children you’re speaking of, but I assume they’re the only ones we kidnapped in a pair today. Are they perhaps twins? If so, I may need to think on that offer. These children are very important. They are bait in order to get to someone I’m after. As soon as I have the person I need, I will release the children unharmed, as long as their father does what I want.   
Even then, who knows? My trigger finger is very twitchy today. I was planning on visiting the kids myself. My employees have come up with some very interesting plans that I’m excited to see play out, and we really only need one child for it.   
It’s been so long since we’ve seen each other, Janus. I would love to have a little reunion while you attempt to negotiate for these kids of yours. Why don’t you stop by and we’ll discuss things in person, shall we? I’m sure your little hacker pet has already figured out where we’re holding the brats. If not, no matter. We can put off the reunion for another day!  
Best of luck,  
-A. Justice_ 🧡

Janus visibly cringed at the email. He found it hard to stand talking to the leader of Wrath, even if it was through email. He was nearly unbearable. It didn’t sound like he was going to be of any help at all.

And yet, this invitation could be the perfect way to get the kids back, if he played his cards right.

“Logan,” Janus said, “inform our backup to stand by.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i feel like i should add a quick disclaimer here: Remus has a mental illness and while some of his symptoms are displayed in this chapter, i do not have his mental illness and so the depiction will not be 100% accurate. i don’t want to say what it is outright bc it will be focused on more in the sequel, but i still feel like i should say to take all of Remus’s symptoms with a grain of salt. while i have done my research, it’s impossible for me to be completely accurate.


	37. I'm Gay, I'm Stressed, And I Want To Go Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Patton meets up with an old friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i ended up writing one extra chapter with the whole ✨kidnapping nonsense✨ so now there are 57 total chapters instead of 56
> 
> anyway, who's ready to meet the Critic???

Patton couldn’t stop pacing. He was safe, sure, but how long would that last?

He’d only been in the Critic House for about an hour or two, but the worry was already killing him. He’d texted Remy a dozen times to see if he was okay and received no response. He would have called Thomas or Andy, but he didn’t know their phone numbers.

Remy’s absence wasn’t the only thing putting Patton on edge. The bag Andy had shoved into his hands before he ran off was sitting there on the floor. He hadn’t touched it since he dropped it there, other than to close the flap so he didn’t have to see inside it. If it was closed, he could just pretend it was any old bag, one he’d never seen before. He could pretend he hadn’t opened it and was oblivious to its contents.

But the fact that he actually knew what was in there just wouldn’t leave him alone. Andy knew he was Poison Dart, and she’d gone to his old weapons locker. What did she think of him? Did she think he was a murderer? She wouldn’t be wrong, of course, if she did think that, but he didn’t want her to know that. How did she even find out, anyway? Maybe she somehow hacked into something and overheard when Patton threatened the bounty hunters back at the hotel.

Patton raked his hands through his hair. Thomas and Andy knew about Patton’s past as Poison Dart, and Remy knew about Patton’s past with gangs. Great. This was just absolutely perfect.

He sat down on the bed and glanced at his phone. Still no response from Remy.

A knock at his door made him jump. He scrambled for the gun in his pocket and aimed it at the door in case anyone burst in. It remained closed, so he allowed himself to lower the gun. Maybe he could just pretend he wasn’t there.

There was another knock on the door. “Patton Hart,” a voice said. “We know you’re in there.”

Patton tensed. He kept the gun in his hands as he tiptoed to the door. He peeked through the peephole.

Two security guards in black suits and sunglasses stood outside his door. He didn’t know what they were doing here, but he was willing to bet it wasn’t anything good.

He tucked the gun back in his pocket and opened the door a crack. “What?”

“Mr. Critique wants to speak with you,” one of the guards said.

Patton relaxed, but only a little. These people weren’t here to get to him, but now he had to deal with something else.

“Give me a second to get ready,” Patton said.

He shut the door and turned around. He went straight for his backpack and started digging through it. The owner of the hotel was very picky about the appearance of his special guests. Patton currently looked like he’d rolled through a ditch and been attacked by rabid squirrels. He at least needed to comb his hair.

He straightened out his hair in the bathroom. Goodness, it was getting long. He needed to get a haircut soon. He also would have liked to shower, but he didn’t have time for that. His denim jacket was horribly dirty, so he shucked it off and swapped his t-shirt for a polo shirt he’d forgotten he’d packed. His jeans were mostly fine, so he kept them on, and he hoped the owner wouldn’t notice that he was wearing running shoes instead of dress shoes. Just for something extra, he tied his cat hoodie around his shoulders, like he usually did with his cardigans. He hoped the owner was in a good enough mood that he wouldn’t throw a fit over Patton tracking dirt into his hotel.

Patton debated with himself for a moment before shoving Remy’s gun into the pocket of his jeans. He wasn’t going anywhere without a weapon.

He hurried back to the door and opened it. The two guards in suits were still standing there waiting for him.

“I’m ready,” he said.

Both guards nodded and turned. They started down the hallway and Patton followed, glancing nervously around him just in case anyone was going to follow him. He had nothing to worry about, especially since he was going to go visit the owner of the hotel, but he still couldn’t keep himself from worrying.

They went down a few hallways and entered an elevator. There was no one else in the elevator, thank goodness. One of the guards slid a key card into a slot above the floor buttons. The elevator dinged and the doors slid shut. Patton stood in mildly awkward silence with the two security guards as they travelled upwards.

The doors opened. Patton followed the guards out of the elevator and into a penthouse suite that took up the entire top floor. The outside of the hotel was gritty and worn down, but the top floor was truly a luxurious sight to behold. A large elegant carpet took up most of the floor space. Lounge chairs and plush couches surrounded a mahogany coffee table with a glass ashtray as a centrepiece. At the opposite end of the room was a hallway that led to other rooms. A chandelier swung from the ceiling.

“Mr. Critique,” one of the guards called. “He’s here.”

A figure appeared in the hallway and emerged in the lounge room. A man who looked similar to Remy in both face and build stepped into the room. He was just as short as Remy, if not shorter, and his brown hair had that same cowlick in the back that refused to stay down. His resemblance to Remy was pulled together by the sunglasses perched on his nose. A shawl was wrapped around his shoulders, and he held a cup of Starbucks in one hand.

The man lowered his sunglasses to look at Patton. Instead of having brown eyes like Remy, his eyes were a striking icy blue that Patton could see even from across the room.

The man spread his arms and strolled across the room towards Patton. “Poison, honey! It’s been ages!”

Patton tensed as the man wrapped him in a hug. “Hi, Dice. Good to see you.”

Dice released Patton from his hug and looked Patton up and down. “Darling, your fashion sense has only gotten worse since I’ve last seen you. I love it. You look absolutely dreadful! And your hair has gotten so long and curly. Let me know if you need a haircut darling, I can arrange that for you.” He linked his arm with Patton’s and started for the couches. “Someone get us some coffee. You do still like coffee, don’t you hon?”

Patton watched as one of the security guards made their way towards the hallway. “Um, yeah, I guess.”

“Good.” Dice pushed Patton onto a couch. “Have a seat, darling, you must be exhausted from your little journey from Clawmore. Why you stay in that dump of a city is beyond me.” He skirted around the coffee table and sat down on a lounge chair across from Patton. He took a sip of his Starbucks. “How is Poison Dart, honey? How’s life been for you these past ten years?”

Patton sighed. “You can just call me Patton, Dice. That’s kind of my name.”

“Oh, it doesn’t matter to me,” Dice said. “I’m okay with calling you by your old title. You don’t need to make accommodations for me.” He leaned back in his seat. “So, how have you been, hon?”

“Not bad, I guess,” Patton answered. “I have three kids, a house in Clawmore—”

Dice gasped. “Three kids? Hon, I thought you were gay! Who’s the lucky woman?”

“I am gay,” Patton said. “I adopted the kids.”

Dice put a hand to his chest. “Oh, thank God. For a moment there, I thought I was talking to a hetero.” He raised a brow. “Although, of course, you can always be gay in spirit. Speaking of gays, how’s my cousin? Has he finally stopped living under a rock and figured out that I run the Critic House?”

“Remy’s doing fine,” Patton answered. “He didn’t even know about the Critic House until a few days ago. I didn’t tell him who runs it.”

“The man is about as smart as a rock,” Dice scoffed. “It’s ridiculous that he didn’t know about the hotel earlier. He needs to go places other than just the streets in Clawmore. Get him to take you to some other cities one of these days. Use that bike of his for more than just a few little late night joyrides.” He looked up as one of his security guards walked into the room with a tray. “Thank you, darling. Set it on the coffee table. You’re a dear.”

The guard set the tray down and retreated from the room, the other guard right behind them. Dice reached for the coffee on the tray. Pouring coffee into a mug with one hand, he drank from his Starbucks cup until it was empty and set it down. Patton watched as he poured a copious amount of cream into his mug of coffee.

Dice leaned back and sipped at his mug. “Go ahead,” he said, waving a hand towards the tray. “Have some.”

Patton wasn’t one to decline an offer from the person keeping him safe. He reached for a mug and poured some coffee into it. He wasn’t really in the mood for anything sweet, so he left the bowl of sugar cubes alone.

“So, why did you want to see me?” Patton asked, swishing his coffee around in his mug.

“Can’t I just ask to meet with an old friend?” Dice said. “I heard that you stopped in and I simply asked to see you. You make quite an impression with that bounty on your head. Half the world probably knows where you are now. I just had to talk to you myself and get the full story on what’s happening. You know I love gossip.”

Patton raised an eyebrow. He wasn’t buying it.

Dice sighed. “Okay, fine. I was wondering why you got back into the business.”

“Back in the business?” Patton squeaked. “I’m not back in the business. I’m in hiding!”

Dice threw back his head and laughed. “Hiding? Oh, honey, you could not have come to a worse place! Everybody who’s anybody around here stays in this hotel at least once in their lives. If you were really hiding, baby, you would have flown to Russia and changed your name. How was I to think you were hiding?”

Patton clenched his fist in growing frustration. “This was the only place I could think of to go. No one can get to me here. I don’t want to be too far away from my kids or Remy.”

Dice sipped at his coffee. “Hmm, right, Remy. Of course you wouldn’t want to leave him behind. You and him are pretty close, aren’t you? Tell me, have the two of you gotten hitched yet?”

Patton nearly choked on his coffee. He lowered his mug and stared at Dice. “Hitched? Me and Remy aren’t dating. He’s just a friend. Unfortunately.”

Dice nodded, but he didn’t look convinced. “Right. Just friends. I see how it is,” he said with a wink.

“Well, it’s not like I haven’t tried to make it obvious that I like him. I’ve been trying to get a reaction from him for years. He’s just so oblivious.” Patton slumped in his seat. “I’m not going to tell him, though. Not now. There’s too much going on.”

“Understandable.” Dice took a sip of coffee. “Anyway, tell me, Poison, what compelled you to adopt kids? That doesn’t sound like something the Poison Dart I know would do.”

“The Poison Dart you know doesn’t really exist anymore,” Patton said. “I’ve changed a lot.”

Dice shrugged. “Well, you still take your coffee black. That’s something.” He finished off his own coffee and set the mug on the table. “Tell me about your kids, hon. What are they like?”

Patton tapped his fingers on his mug. “There are three of them. A fifteen year old and two eleven year olds. Twins. They’re... they’re the light of my life, pretty much. They’re not in public school. A friend of mine has been tutoring them. They’re very smart kids. I don’t know where I would be without them.”

“Well,” Dice said, “it does sound like you care about them. You really have changed since I last saw you, haven’t you?”

Patton nodded. “I’m not in the business anymore. I haven’t done a job in ten years.”

Dice hummed. “So the last target you had was Janus Chimera. And the man still lives. Did you drop out of the business because you failed?”

“No.” Patton ran a hand through his hair and set his mug down. His coffee was going to go cold at this rate. “Janus was my target for a while, but I strayed from my contract and had to run. Wrath would have killed me otherwise.”

Dice’s mouth fell open. “Hon, it was Wrath who hired you to kill Chimera? I completely forgot about that. Goodness, I don’t know how I didn’t remember. Their old leader hated him!”

“Well, their old leader is dead now, so there’s no use talking about it,” Patton mumbled.

“I suppose you’re right. Can’t speak ill of the dead, can we?” Dice said with a grin. “However, I am curious as to how you used to work. You were quite the silent killer, weren’t you?”

“I guess.” Patton shifted in his seat. He didn’t like talking about this. He wanted to change the subject.

“So why did you kill the old leader of Wrath in such an obvious way? It really wasn’t your style, darling. Everyone saw it.”

Patton grit his teeth, hesitant to answer. His left index finger twitched. “It was a spur of the moment thing. I didn’t plan it. I just did it.”

Dice lowered his sunglasses. His bright gaze pierced right through Patton. “But why did you do that? You knew it would get you in trouble, honey. Why do something like that?”

“I wanted to go out with a bang.” A smile tugged at his lips. “Literally.”

Dice covered his mouth with the back of his hand as he laughed. “Oh hon, it is _so_ good to see you haven’t lost your sense of humour! I adore your puns, darling. I was beginning to worry you had run out of joke material.” He stifled another chuckle. “Anyway, was that the full reason?”

Patton let his smile fall. “I don’t know. I knew I was going have to leave the business after that, so I wanted to do something I’d never done before. I just wanted my last kill to be memorable. At the time, I wanted people to know Poison Dart as the one who killed the leader of Wrath’s Blade.”

“But why not Chimera?” Dice asked. “He’s the leader of one of the biggest gangs in America. What made killing Nemesis Justice so much more appealing than killing Janus Chimera?”

Patton heaved a sigh. “I met Janus. After what I did to his bodyguard, he was devastated. I had every chance to kill him, but I chickened out. When the leader of Wrath asked to meet with Janus in public so I could have a chance to kill him, I couldn’t do it. Chimera is more morally sound than Wrath, and I figured if I was going to be killing the leader of a gang anyway, I might as well spare the lesser of two evils.”

“Morally sound?” Dice scoffed. “Since when did you have a moral code? Why, thirteen years ago, you threatened my life over a leak in your hotel room. When did you get morals?”

Patton grimaced. “After I pushed a college student out of a window with the intent to kill her, and she ended up alive with PTSD and a prosthetic leg.”

“Hmm. That would do it, I suppose. Being an assassin must be a taxing job.” Dice crossed his legs. “So... you’re sure you’re not going back in the business?”

“I’m sure.”

Dice sighed. “Darling, you have so much talent. Why do you not use it?”

Patton opened his mouth to respond, but he couldn’t make any words come out. Being an assassin really was the only thing he was good at. He didn’t like hurting people, but if he was pulled back into the criminal underground, what else was he supposed to do?

Dice motioned for Patton to stand. “Come here, darling.”

Patton stood reluctantly and walked around the coffee table. Dice took Patton’s arm and pulled him onto the couch next to him.

Dice turned on the couch to face Patton and took both of his hands in his. “Darling, you have so much unused potential,” he said, his voice soft. “You could do incredible things in this business. Do not let all that potential go to waste.”

“But if I go back to doing this, my kids will be in danger,” Patton protested. “They’re already in trouble. They’ll constantly be in trouble if I go back to this.”

Dice tilted his head and smiled. “Poison, honey. That’s the whole problem. You’re not using your full potential to protect them or yourself. You are capable of so much. You could run this city if you wanted. You may have changed, but the Poison Dart I know is still in there. And he wouldn’t hesitate to do whatever he had to in order to keep himself safe. Half the country is after you, darling. It’s time to come out of hiding and let people know you’re not to be fucked with.”

Dice smirked and looked at Patton over his sunglasses. “Give them hell, Poison.”

The sincerity in Dice’s eyes burned into Patton’s soul. He didn’t know what to say. Maybe it _was_ time to come out of the shadows.

Dice patted him on the cheek. “Think on it, honey.” He let go of Patton’s hand. “You can go back to your room now. Is there anything you need while you’re here?”

Patton hesitated. He didn’t want to ask Dice to do anything for him. Dice was already doing so much just be letting him stay in the hotel.

“Could you keep an eye out for my friends?” Patton asked finally. “Remy might stop by. There’s also a guy named Thomas Sanders—white guy, red leather jacket, clearly gay—and Andy—East Indian girl, kind of emo, also clearly gay, I never learned her last name. Can your guards let me know if any of them come in?”

“Of course, baby. Anything for an old friend.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a key card. “Here, for if you ever want to use your old room in the penthouse.”

Patton took the card. “Thank you.”

He stood and walked to the elevator, fiddling with the sleeves of his hoodie. He really needed to take some time to mull over Dice’s words before he decided on what to do about his situation.

Patton paused at the elevator. “Dice?”

“Yes, darling?”

“If it’s okay with you, there’s one more person I’d like you to keep watch for.”

Dice raised a brow. “And who’s that?”

“Pryce Princeton. Bounty hunter. Dyed bright red hair, white jacket, East Asian lady about twenty or so years old.”

“And what are you planning on doing if she does stop by?” Dice asked, a curious lilt to his voice.

Patton’s trigger finger twitched. “I’m going to give her hell.”

Dice’s face split into a full on smile. “That’s my boy.” He motioned towards the elevator. “Consider it done, darling. Go have a nap. I’ll set a guard outside your door so no one bugs you.”

Patton stepped into the elevator, Dice’s words still ringing in his ears.

*******

Andy didn’t think Logic&Crofters would contact her again, but apparently she’d been wrong.

She had been messing around on her laptop, waiting for Thomas to wake up, when she checked her messages in the forum page and spotted a new message. She raised an eyebrow, a little curious. She was pretty sure she’d done everything he’d asked of her.

She opened the message.

_Ma’am/sir/etc., I’m sorry to ask this of you, but I have another little thing I need help with, if you’re willing to assist me. It’s related to the kidnapping I asked you to look into._

Andy considered it. After everything she’s done for this guy, he owed her. She could certainly use him to pull a favour or two with Chimera in the future.

_sure thing. what do you need?_

She waited for a response. When she got one, a grin split across her face as she read through it.

_So here’s the plan..._


	38. The Orange Man Is Scary

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Logan and a group of Chimera agents break into one of Wrath's warehouses to save the twins while Janus distracts their leader.

“I got the location,” Logan said.

“Where are we going?” Teal asked, grip tight on the steering wheel.

“Abandoned warehouse near Kabra Street,” Logan responded. “Turn left.”

Logan glanced from his screen to the street ahead as Teal drove. They already made a game plan, and Logan prayed that it would work. He was not leaving this building without Roman and Remus.

They arrived at their destination within a minute or two. Logan stared up at the run down, long-abandoned warehouse in front of them. A car was parked outside. One glance at the license plate told Logan that it was the same one he’d seen on the street cameras. Another car was parked next to it. It was an ugly, bright orange colour that figuratively burned Logan’s retinas.

Janus grimaced at the orange car. “Looks like he’s already here.” He turned to look at Logan. “Are you ready?”

Logan glanced at his screen to make sure Janus’s phone was connected to his laptop. “Yes. Good luck in there.”

Janus leaned forward and pecked Logan on the cheek. “You and your hacker friend can do this. I trust you.”

Janus and Magi both hopped out of the car and made their way to the door. Logan kept the feed from Janus’s phone open, despite the fact that nothing had happened yet. He also had his forum messages open. He’d contacted MyChemicalAnxiety and asked for some additional help, and luckily, they’d been willing to provide it. He was sure he’d have to pay them a very hefty sum for all the work he’d asked of them, but it was worth it to get the twins back safely.

He jumped when a camera feed suddenly appeared on his screen, showing the inside of the warehouse. It looked like Anxiety was doing what Logan had asked of them. He couldn’t get into Wrath’s cameras no matter how much he tried, and he had tried in the past. He wanted to send Anxiety a quick thank you message for getting him a loophole into Wrath’s security system, but he decided against it. They didn’t have time for formalities.

Logan glanced up at the building. Janus and Magi were speaking to someone at the door that Logan couldn’t see. He wished the cameras inside didn’t have blind spots so he could see who it was. He heard their voices speaking through his laptop.

“Where’s your bodyguard?” a woman’s voice asked.

“She is preoccupied,” Janus said. “This is Magi. She’s standing in for D.W. today.”

“Nice to meet you,” Magi said in her usual bouncy voice.

The woman hummed. “Lots of weapons, huh? You really need that much to keep him safe?”

“It doesn’t hurt to be prepared,” Magi said.

“Whatever,” the woman scoffed. “Come in. The boss is expecting you.”

Logan turned back to his screen. He watched as Janus and Magi entered the building with the guard at the door right in front of them. Logan narrowed his eyes when he realized that it was the same woman he’d seen on the cameras at the school—Ms. Sharp, the one who’d kidnapped the twins. He had half a mind to burst out of the car and punch her in the face, but he had a job to do.

The inside of the warehouse would have been vast and empty if not for the dozens of constructed walls that lined the floor. The walls made it look like Janus had stepped into a hallway, but the ceiling was still far above them, unconnected to the walls that were probably hiding closed rooms of victims in their midst. Logan was tempted to get Janus to rescue all of them, but they were only looking for the twins. They couldn’t waste time with anyone else.

“Whatcha looking at?”

Logan jumped at Teal’s voice. She’d clambered over the seat and was leaning over to look at his screen.

Logan sighed. “I’m doing my job. Go do yours.”

“It’s not time yet.” She peered at the screen, idly kicking her legs. “So, who’s your hacker friend?”

“No one you need to know about.” Logan shrugged Teal off as she leaned against his shoulder. “Dude, get off.”

“No.” Teal poked his arm. “Did you make a friend? What’s their name? Do you _like_ them?”

“Jesus, you’re insufferable,” Logan grumbled. He turned his full attention to his laptop.

He and Teal watched as Janus and Magi followed the woman into the warehouse. Magi stuck close behind Janus, much the same way D.W. did. Logan switched between cameras to follow their progress.

“He’s been wanting to see you,” Sharp’s voice said through the speakers of his laptop. “He was excited when he got here,” she said.

“I imagine he was,” Janus said. “Am I allowed to have my bodyguard in the room?”

“He did request that it be a meeting just between the two of you. Me and your bodyguard can stay outside the room.” Sharp cast a distasteful glance at Magi’s purple pigtails.

“I’m fine with that,” Janus said.

Logan took a deep breath. “Okay, here we go,” he muttered as he switched between cameras, searching for wherever Roman and Remus were being held. He listened to Janus’s audio as he worked. He didn’t hear much more than footsteps, but they finally stopped and he heard a door being opened.

Logan stopped scrolling through the cameras when he spotted two familiar people on one of the feeds. Roman and Remus were both tied to chairs that sat back to back, enclosed together in one dark room. One wall was covered in various weapons. Logan shuddered at the sight. However, it looked like neither of the twins were injured, which was a relief.

“Damn,” Teal whispered. “That’s a torture room if I’ve ever seen one. And I’ve seen plenty.”

Logan checked the camera number. The twins were in room 135. He sent out a mass text to their backup to let them know where the twins were. He didn’t see any blood or injuries on the kids, but it was hard to see through the blurry camera. He hoped they were okay.

“Justice,” Janus’s voice said through the laptop. “Good to see you again. It’s been a while.”

Someone responded, but their voice was muffled and Logan couldn’t make out the words. He shifted through the cameras, searching for whatever room Janus had stepped into, but Logan couldn’t find him anywhere.

His phone buzzed and he glanced at it. A message stared back at him.

_hey, it’s MyChemicalAnxiety from the forums. sorry for finding your phone, it’s easier to use two devices. i can’t find the room Chimera went into. i don’t think there’s a camera in there._

Logan cursed under his breath. So there was no way to keep an eye on Janus. Great.

He tapped out a response. _That’s alright. Everyone is where we need them. I’ll wait another minute to see how Janus’s discussion goes. If things go south, you know what to do?_

_yep :)_

Logan turned his attention back to Janus’s audio feed. “You know why I’m here,” Janus was saying. “Did you not get the email I sent you?”

The other voice laughed, a gleefully cruel sound that bordered on insane. Logan shivered at the noise. Whoever that laugh belonged to was not someone he ever wanted to meet. He was almost glad their voice was too muffled for him to hear when they spoke.

“That was not the point of my message,” Janus said. “I’m here to bargain for the twins.”

The other person said something, and Janus scoffed. “Don’t try that with me, Justice. I can tell when you’re lying.” A pause. “Your finger twitches. He has that same tic. The two of you are much more similar than you know.”

The other person’s response was so loud, all Logan could hear from the speaker was garbled feedback. He winced in sympathy. Janus wouldn’t like someone yelling at him. Was he okay?

Oddly enough, when Janus spoke next, his tone was calm and collected, maybe even a little smug. “Oh, I’m sorry, darling. Is that a touchy subject for you? I’ll leave it alone, then. Apologies, you should have told me not to mention it. How was I to know? Anyway, the twins...?”

Logan heard a growl that bordered on animalistic from the other person in the room, but it settled into muffled grumbling. Janus sighed. “Well, Justice? Are you willing to bargain for the kids, or not? If not, then there’s really no point to me being here.”

Their conversation tapered into hushed words that Logan couldn’t make out. He tried to turn up the volume only to find that it was up as far as it would go. He wanted to know what Janus was saying.

A text popped up on his phone _. what are they saying???_

 _Not sure,_ Logan replied. _I’ll keep you updated and let you know if and when you should act._

_sure thing :P_

Teal narrowed her eyes at Logan’s laptop. “What are they talking about?”

“I wish I knew,” Logan said, frustration building up inside him. He just wanted to know what was going on. Was that too much to ask?

The other person’s cold laugh burst from the speakers again. They said something, and Janus snapped something back, something angry yet quiet that Logan couldn’t make out. Logan had never heard Janus mad before. He hissed out his words like an angered snake, and Logan could almost picture Janus sitting across from this other person, teeth bared and body tensed like a cobra about to strike. Logan had never seen what Janus looked like when he was genuinely angry before, but just that mental image that came with his voice made him shudder. Sometimes he forgot how powerful Janus really was.

When Janus spoke next, his voice was loud enough for his phone to pick up the words. “Justice, you knew exactly what you were messing with when you went after these kids. Do you really think he’ll have mercy on you when he finds out? After all, he didn’t have mercy on your father.”

A burst of sound exploded through the speaker, as if someone had hit their fist on a table. Logan turned his volume down to avoid the loud feedback from the person’s deafening shouts. Christ, that other man had a temper.

To his surprise, the next sound he heard was Janus laughing. It wasn’t his usual warm, joyful laugh. It was more cruel and taunting, like a bully cackling at a kid he’d just pushed off the monkey bars on a playground.

“There’s my Ares!” Janus said, a tone of smug triumph to his voice. “It’s so _easy_ to get you riled up, darling! Bartering with you when you’re not angry is a trial. I figured I’d make things easier for both of us this way.” He chuckled, and Logan could almost imagine him sitting in his chair with his legs crossed, lounging back as if he owned the place. “You know exactly what he is capable of. Just look at what he did ten years ago. He spared _me_ of all people, in favour of killing your father. Doesn’t that upset you, darling?”

The other person spoke, and this time, their voice was just at the right volume for Janus’s phone to pick up the words. “Don’t patronize me, Chimera. I can buy and sell you.”

Logan wanted to shut his laptop and drive away. Their voice rumbled like the growl of an angry lion. A fire of hatred burned in their tone. Logan had no doubt that they would kill Janus right then and there if they could. He wanted to call Janus and tell him to get the hell out of there.

A text lit up his phone screen. _do you know who they’re talking about???”_

Logan sent a response. _I don’t know. He’s speaking to the leader of Wrath. That’s all I know about the conversation. He’s supposed to be convincing them to give us Patton’s kids back. I don’t know what all this talk of threats is about. Would you perhaps know?_

A reply appeared within a few seconds. _i might. but if you don’t know, i’m not sharing. top secret stuff i guess._

Logan grit his teeth. This random hacker knew more than he did about whatever was going on. He just couldn’t be good enough for Janus to trust him with this.

Logan took a deep breath. That wasn’t what he should be focusing on.

“Get ready,” he told Teal.

Teal grinned and held up a grappling hook. “I’m already ready.”

Logan stared at the grappling hook. “Where were you keeping that?”

“None of your business.” She shimmied across the seat to the car door.

Logan turned back to his phone and sent Anxiety a text. _Now would be a good time, if you please. I don’t know how Janus’s conversation is going or if he’s even getting anywhere. I think it’s time to resort to plan B._

_you read my mind nerd >:3_

Logan look at the camera views on his laptop screen. One by one, each one cut to static.

“Hey!” Wrath’s leader shouted through Janus’s audio feed.

“What is this?” Janus’s voice said. “Justice, was this a trap? What are you planning?”

“You think I turned off the lights? Why the hell would I do that? I need to see!”

“It must be a power outage then,” Janus said. “I would assume the power is out city-wide. Are you sure you didn’t have anything to do with this, Justice?”

“Why would I take out the whole city’s power?” Wrath’s leader snapped.

“Fair enough. Shall we continue talking, or should we put this off for another day?”

Logan heard the sound of a door opening. “You’re stuck here until the power’s back on,” Sharp’s voice sighed. “The doors are electronically locked. We have to wait it out.”

“Mr. Chimera, are you okay?” Magi’s voice asked.

“I’m fine. Don’t worry, we’ll get back to the bank eventually.”

Logan shut his laptop. He shot a quick text to Anxiety, saying a brief thank you for everything they did and a promise to contact them again to discuss payment. He quickly unknotted his blue tie and tossed it on the seat beside him before grabbing a black hoodie off the floor of the car and pulling it on. He shoved his phone in his pocket and scrambled out of the car behind Teal.

They hurried up to the building. They likely didn’t have long until the Wrath agents in the building caught onto their plan, so they had to move fast.

Teal cackled gleefully as she aimed her grappling hook at the top of the building. “Ready, little bitch?”

“Little?” Logan said. “I’m not still shorter than you, am I?”

Teal fired the grappling hook and it latched onto the roof of the warehouse. “No, but you’re still younger.”

“Yeah, by two minutes—holy shit!”

He was cut off when Teal grabbed him and let the grappling hook reel them in. He let out a shriek of surprise.

Teal planted her feet on the side of the building, still holding Logan with one arm. “What, you didn’t know we were both going up?”

“I probably could have gotten my own hook,” he muttered, embarrassed by his own fear. “It would have been safer.”

“Safety doesn’t matter. Rescuing those kids does.”

“We can’t rescue them if we die.”

“Touché.”

The two of them quickly scaled the side of the building, using Teal’s grappling hook to haul them up. The shallow wound in Logan’s side burned a little from the effort, but he grit his teeth and ignored it. About a dozen other Chimera agents were already waiting for them once they reached the roof.

One of them crossed her arms. “Took you long enough.”

Logan smoothed out his shirt. “It took a while to put everything in place. Is everyone ready?”

“More than ready,” someone else piped up. “I haven’t done a rescue mission in years!”

“Then let’s get going,” Logan said.

Teal grabbed his arm and dragged him across the roof as the rest of the group dispersed. “Slow down,” he said, trying to yank his wrist out of her grip. “Someone will hear our footsteps.”

“Who cares?” Teal slowed to a stop and knelt down. “Put your mask on while I cut this bitch open.”

“Right.” Logan pulled a lower face mask out of his pocket. He pulled the loops over his ears and straightened the mask over his face. This way, no one in the building would be able to recognize him, hopefully. Especially not in the dark.

He watched as Teal cut through the roof with a metal cutter. They were lucky the metal was thin, or this would have taken much longer.

Teal cut half a square into the roof. She pulled on a pair of thick gloves and pried the metal back. She stood. “After you,” she said, gesturing to the hole in the roof.

Logan picked up the grappling hook. “I’ll be back with the kids.”

He jammed the hook into the edge of the hole. After making sure it was secure, he lowered himself through the hole, gripping tight to the end of the rope connected to the hook. It was dark in the warehouse, but the light from the hole in the ceiling was enough to show him the floor. He gently set down on the floor and let go of the hook. Teal pushed the metal back over the hole to hide the light. Other agents on the roof were doing the same.

Logan tiptoed through the warehouse, following the aisles of constructed walls. He glanced at the doors. The room Roman and Remus were being kept in didn’t seem to be near where he had dropped in. Someone else might find them.

All he had to do then was keep an eye out for security guards. He kept one hand on the knife at his belt as he crept through the shadows. He didn’t see anyone so far, but that could change in a second.

A shadow of a person appeared far in front of him. He heard someone’s frustrated grumbling getting closer. He pressed his back against the wall behind him.

The person tripped. “Fuck,” they muttered, and Logan recognized her voice as Sharp, the woman who had kidnapped the twins. “Man can’t find the god damn fuse box by himself. Why do I have to do his fucking...” Her words trailed off into quiet muttering.

Logan watched as she passed. With her out of commission, that would be one less person in their way.

He tiptoed after her. In one swift move, he lunged forward and checked her into the wall. She yelped as she hit the metal, but she didn’t have time to retaliate. He pulled her into a headlock and squeezed his arm around her neck.

It didn’t take long for her to stop struggling and pass out. He gently lowered her to the ground. “Sorry,” he whispered in case she was still somewhat conscious. “Just part of the job.”

He continued through the darkness, keeping an eye out for anyone else. He only saw the occasional Chimera agent and a couple passed out Wrath guards. It seemed like everything was going well so far.

He jumped when he heard a voice.

“Oh, come on, Justice. I’m sure this is just a normal blackout. Don’t get so hung up about it.”

Logan pressed himself against a wall. He wasn’t too worried about being found, not even by Wrath’s leader. Even if he was found, there was no way he could be linked back to Chimera on appearances alone. This was meant to be perceived as a break in by some no-name gang.

That being said, he didn’t doubt that Wrath’s leader could and would kill him on sight. Maybe staying hidden was more important than he thought.

A couple flashlight beams bobbed in the darkness. He tensed as a pair of footsteps grew closer.

Someone turned a corner and a light landed right on him. He froze like a deer in headlights. He couldn’t see who was behind the light.

The person stepped closer and aimed the beam away so he could see. Magi smiled. “Everything going okay?” she whispered.

Before he could answer, he was interrupted by the sound of someone coughing. He grimaced in sympathy. The coughing sounded wet and painful, like it was grating against the person’s throat.

He heard a thump followed by more coughing. “Justice?” Janus’s voice said, oddly soft and concerned compared to how he’d been talking to that person earlier. “Ares, are you okay?”

Magi gave Logan one last glance before she hurried off to help with whatever was happening. He heard Janus tell Magi to run and get some water. The painful coughing echoed off the metal walls.

Using this convenient distraction to his advantage, Logan slipped past the collection of voices and crept on through the warehouse, glancing up at the numbers on the doors he passed. He nearly bumped into someone and drew his knife, ready to strike, but he spotted the mask on their face and lowered his weapon. It was just another Chimera agent, probably Alex by the looks of them.

The two of them stuck close together as they made their way towards the twins’ room. He didn’t know if anyone had found them already, but he wasn’t willing to take that chance.

He spotted a person kneeling in front of a door. He squinted to see who it was. It was another Chimera agent, trying to pick the lock of a door. Logan and Alex approached. Sure enough, it was the twins’ room.

“How’s it going?” Alex whispered.

“Not good,” the other agent hissed. “I suck at this. You do it.”

They stood aside and Alex knelt in front of the lock. Logan couldn’t see what they were doing, but they were one of the best lockpicks in Chimera. If they couldn’t get the lock open, no one could.

The lock clicked. Alex stood and waved to the door. “Go on in.”

The other agent gave Logan a thumbs up. “We’ll keep watch out here.”

Logan nodded. He stepped past Alex and opened the door a crack. It was even darker in there, but the kids must have heard it open, because he heard one of them squeak in fear.

Logan pulled out his phone and turned on the flashlight. Roman and Remus were tied to their chairs, back to back, just like he’d seen in the cameras. They squinted in the light. Roman’s eyes shone with tears and Remus was trembling like a leaf. The ropes holding them down were tied so tight, Logan wondered if either of them had lost feeling in their limbs yet.

He drew his knife. Roman spotted it and started to squirm, tears pouring down his face. He started to cry. Logan hoped no one would hear and come to investigate.

Logan sliced through the ropes. As soon as Roman was free, he leaped out of his chair and sprinted for the door, only to be stopped by Alex. They scooped him up into their arms and put a hand over his mouth.

“Sorry kid,” Alex muttered. “Can’t have you giving us away.”

Logan shut off his flashlight. Remus stared at Logan, his petrified look morphing into one of angry determination. Logan picked him up and Remus squirmed.

“Fuck you, you fucking god damn bastard,” Remus hissed, kicking wildly. “I’ll fucking fight you. God _dammit_ , where’s my fucking mace? You fucking _fuck,_ let me go!”

“Remus, you don’t have a mace,” Logan said. “And watch your language. We’re getting you out of here.”

They left the room. “Where’s your exit point?” Logan asked Alex.

“Southeast corner,” Alex answered. “We’ll meet you on the ground.”

Logan ran off, Remus in his arms. Remus cursed more and held onto Logan to keep himself from falling to the ground. However, his eyes widened when Alex ran in the other direction with Roman. He struggled more. “No!” he squeaked. “Roman!”

Logan covered Remus’s mouth. “It’s okay, we’re not separating you. You’ll see him outside.”

A sharp pain exploded through Logan’s hand and he held back a squeak. “Remus,” he hissed. “Did you just bite me?”

Remus wriggled in Logan’s arms, desperate to break free and run after his brother. Logan glanced down at the teeth marks in his hand. Blood beaded on his hand. Christ, that child had some strong power in his jaws.

Remus growled in frustration and reached out for Roman as if he could grab him from here. Logan sighed and kept running through the warehouse. He had to find the hole he’d come in from.

He heard someone shout from somewhere nearby. He slowed to a stop and glanced around, searching for the source of the voice. He saw a flashlight beam making its way towards him. Logan didn’t know how it belonged to, but he wasn’t taking any chances.

He ducked past a wall, holding Remus close to his chest. It was difficult to see, but he had to get back to his exit.

He sneaked through the warehouse, a bit slower this time to keep himself from making too much noise. Remus was still squirming. Logan felt a pang of guilt for scaring him, but he didn’t have time to stop and comfort the kid. He needed to get them out of there fast.

He turned another corner and stopped in his tracks, heart pounding. It seemed he hadn’t exactly put Penny Sharp out of commission for as long as he thought he did.

Because now she was right in front of him, holding a gun, and looking very, very angry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *holds up the orange side* can i interest you in one (1) angery boi?


	39. We Almost Died

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Logan tries to find a way out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warning! there is some blood in this chapter and a few gunshots. there will be a summary in the end notes!

Logan took a cautious step backward. He’d half hoped maybe Sharp had missed him in the darkness and was looking at something else, but that gaze was trained right on him and Remus, as was her gun.

A gunshot rang through the air and he skittered away. Remus didn’t make a sound, which could have been a very good or a very bad thing. Logan ducked behind a wall, but even now, he heard voices yelling and footsteps running. There would be people on him in no time. He needed to get him and Remus out of here, now.

Remus squirmed in Logan’s arms, and before Logan could tell him to stop, he had broken free. Remus sprinted down the hallway, ignoring Logan’s whispered call of “Remus!” He disappeared into the darkness.

Logan cursed under his breath, but he froze when the cold muzzle of a gun pressed itself to his temple. He spotted Sharp on the other end of the gun out of the corner of his eye.

He lashed out at her arm just as she fired. The bullet hit the ceiling, creating a tiny pinprick of light in the dark. Sharp tried to load another round and fire again, but Logan was already running toward the hallway he saw Remus head for.

He scanned the shadows for any hint that might tell him where Remus went, but all he could hear was Sharp yelling behind him for backup. If he got caught, there was no guarantee he would get out alive. And if they got Remus, who knew what they would do to him?

Logan turned down another hallway and yelped when he crashed right into someone. He toppled backwards. Before the person he’d bumped into had a chance to attack him, he drew his knife and prepared to defend himself.

A hand grabbed his and pulled him to his feet. “Logan, run,” Janus’s voice said in the darkness.

Logan squinted. He could just make out the silhouette of someone in front of him. The bright yellow of their gloves were easy to see in the dark.

“Janus—”

“Run,” Janus interrupted. He pushed Logan towards another hall. He stumbled into it and ducked behind a corner just as a flashlight beam lit up the corridor he’d just been in.

“Chimera,” said the raspy voice of Wrath’s leader. Logan couldn’t suppress a shudder at the sound.

“What is it, Justice?” Janus said, voice as smooth and calm as always.

“Sharp says there are people in here trying to get those twins,” the other voice growled.

“Shit, are you kidding me?” Janus cursed, and if Logan didn’t know that it was Chimera agents rescuing the twins, he would have believed that Janus genuinely found that information frustrating. “How did she find that out?”

“She bumped into some fucker that had one of the kids.”

A shout in the darkness met Logan’s ears. Janus didn’t respond to the other voice as the leader of Wrath started down the hall after it. Janus hurried close behind.

Logan cursed under his breath and darted through the shadows towards the yelling. If that was where Remus had run off to, he had to get there first.

He skirted around the corner and his heart dropped. A Wrath agent in an orange jacket had Remus in their arms, trying to wrangle him so he would stop squirming.

Footsteps rapidly approached Logan from behind. They stopped, and he heard the click of a gun being cocked.

“Don’t fucking move,” Sharp’s voice ordered. More footsteps approached, and Logan imagined that there were at least a dozen other Wrath agents with her.

Logan stayed stock still, one hand resting on the knife at his belt. If only he’d thought to bring a gun!

Logan turned his head a little so he could see Sharp and the group she’d brought with her. Each of them held a gun in their hands, and every single weapon was pointed at him. They circled around him, cutting off the other hallways.

Logan’s heart pounded and his mind raced as he tried to figure out how to get out of this. There was no way he would get out of here alive.

“Put the kid down,” he said as a last ditch attempt to somehow make this work out in his favour.

“Not a god damn chance,” the person holding Remus snapped. Remus whimpered and wriggled in their grip.

The lights above flickered. Logan furrowed a brow in confusion. Wasn’t Anxiety still in control of the lights?

He caught sight of the small blinking red light of a security camera on the wall. The lens was pointed right at him. The lights flickered again. He didn’t know what Anxiety was planning, but he hoped it was something good.

Logan may have been prepared for something to happen, but that didn’t make what happened next any less startling.

The lights turned on, the brightness of them so overwhelming after the darkness that Logan was sure Anxiety must have somehow managed to make them brighter than usual. Deafening sound exploded around them and echoed off the walls. It took a millisecond for him to realize that Anxiety had managed to get into the cell phones of everyone around him and play a cacophony of audio files on full volume.

Goodness, that person was skilled.

The Wrath agents all squeezed their eyes shut, some dropping their guns to cover their ears to block out the sudden sensory overload. Logan took the split second he had before everyone regained their senses to dart forward and grab someone’s gun off the floor. He cocked it and fired three shots into the air. People stumbled back at the sound of the gunshots.

Gun in hand, he whirled around to face the person who’d caught Remus. They hadn’t let go of him, unfortunately, but they had shut their eyes and stepped back, looking just as scared and confused as everyone else. Logan loaded a round into the gun and aimed.

Blood splattered from their head. Their body slumped to the ground and Remus squirmed out of their slack arms. Blood pooled on the floor. He couldn’t seem to make himself move anymore.

Logan heard someone’s footsteps scramble towards him. He drew his knife and spun around. He kneed Sharp in the stomach before she could attack him. The breath left her lungs in a sharp burst. He dropped into a crouch and kicked out at her legs. He swept them out from under her and she went toppling to the ground.

Before she could get back up, the lights blinked out again. Logan shook his head in surprise as his sight was taken from him, but he knew that Sharp was right in front of him, so he lunged forward with his knife.

She shouted in pain as his blade sank into her shoulder. He yanked his knife back out, earning another pained yell from her. “Stay down,” Logan hissed. He sheathed his knife.

The sound from everyone’s speakers suddenly switched to a high, piercing buzzing sound that made Logan’s ears hurt. The lights flickered on and off repeatedly like a strobe light at a nightclub. For good measure, Logan raised the gun he’d gotten and fired at the ceiling a few more times. Multiple Wrath agents scrambled away down the hallways.

Logan shoved the gun into his pocket and turned to Remus. He was hunched over himself on the ground, holding the hood of his sweater over his head. He was trembling even more than he had been earlier. The blood from the body next to him pooled on the floor, soaking into his jeans.

Logan gathered Remus in his arms, bloody jeans and all, and hurried down the hall. He had no doubt that Sharp would either keep trying to go after him or get someone else to do that for her, but he just couldn’t muster up the intent to kill her. He’d already gotten one person killed today, and he didn’t want Remus to be any more traumatized by this than he already was.

He darted through the shadows, grateful for the black sweater that helped him blend in. He scanned the ceiling, searching for his entry point.

He spotted something hanging from the ceiling. It took him a moment to recognize it as the rope from the grappling hook he’d used to get in.

Relief washed over him. He hefted Remus into one arm and grabbed the end of the grappling hook. He tugged on it twice to let Teal know they were ready. Light poured in from the ceiling as she pulled the metal back. Logan gripped the end tight and let it reel him upwards. Carrying another person while being pulled up by one arm was a lot more difficult than he thought it would be, and Teal had done it just a few minutes ago with him. He really underestimated his sister’s strength.

Remus clung tighter to Logan, afraid of falling to the ground below. All the fight seemed to have left him. They reached the ceiling and Logan held Remus up higher.

Teal reached down. “Come on kid, we don’t want you to fall.”

Remus gazed at her with wide eyes, petrified. Teal ignored that and grabbed him under his arms. She hoisted him up onto the roof.

Logan hauled himself up next. He grimaced as he gripped the one smooth edge of the hole. He hoped he could avoid scraping the sharp jagged edges around the rest of it. No such luck. A sharp piece of metal jabbed into his arm, tearing through the sleeve of his shirt. He winced and yanked his arm away, but the metal was caught on his sleeve. He pulled harder. A few strings unraveled and stuck on the metal, but he managed to get free. Blood trickled down his arm from the jagged scratch.

He wriggled through the hole and crawled onto the roof. He let himself take a deep breath. That was one of the most stressful rescue missions he’d ever been on.

He looked up. Teal was holding Remus in her arms, looking down at him like he was a scared puppy. “Aww, poor kid,” she mumbled. “Did the big scary orange man kidnap you? And no, I’m not talking about Donald Trump, I’m talking about the bastard we have to deal with.” She looked up at Logan. “What the hell took you so long?”

“Almost got caught,” Logan said. “Could have died. No big deal.” He took his mask off and shoved it in his pocket. “I’ll take him,” he said, holding his arms out to Remus.

Teal deposited Remus into Logan’s arms. Remus didn’t react at all. He stared into space, muttering under his breath.

Logan sighed and hugged Remus tight. It was time to get the kids back home.

As soon as he was on the ground, Logan made a beeline for the car, muttering quiet reassurances to Remus along the way. Remus still hadn’t seem to have realized where they were, but Logan hoped his words were doing something.

He saw Alex standing at the car, Roman in their arms. Roman’s shoulders shook as he cried into their shoulder. Alex was saying something and Roman was nodding along, wiping his tears. Alex shifted Roman to one arm and pointed to Logan and Remus. Roman followed his gaze and gasped. He wriggled out of Alex’s arms and ran towards them.

Roman reached them and grabbed Remus’s hand. “Ree?” he hiccupped through his sobs. “You okay?” His eyes landed on the blood on Remus’s jeans and his eyes widened. His breathing picked up speed. He looked near panic.

“It’s not his blood,” Logan said. “He’s not hurt. I think he’s alright. He’s just still scared. We’re going to go back to Janus’s place now. Do you want me to sit with you in the backseat?”

Roman nodded frantically. While Teal hopped into the driver’s seat, Logan carried Remus to the backseat with Roman right on his heels. Roman climbed in first and buckled up. Logan sat in the middle and set Remus in the seat next to him, trying to ignore the fact that the blood was going to soak into the seat and leave a stain. He buckled Remus up. Remus still didn’t respond, other than a furrow of his brow and a light shake of his head. Blinking rapidly, he mumbled something to himself that Logan couldn’t hear.

Teal pulled away from the warehouse and back onto the street. Other vehicles followed behind them, each one driven by a couple Chimera agents who would no doubt be celebrating the rescue of these random kids they hardly even knew. The employees at Chimera were very excitable when it came to pissing off Wrath’s Blade.

Logan rummaged around on the floor of the car. “Hang on, I think I saw a blanket back here at one point.” He spotted a corner of fabric sticking out from under the seat and grabbed it. Once the blanket was free, he draped it over Remus’s shoulders. Remus automatically grabbed the blanket and pulled it closer. He blinked and shook his head again.

Roman squeaked. “Specs, you’re bleeding!”

Logan glanced down at his arm, where the edge of the roof had snagged his shirt and scratched him. The wound didn’t look that deep, but it was jagged. That would leave a scar.

“It’s okay, Roman,” he said. “I’ve done this before. It’s not the first time I’ve gotten scratched crawling through a ceiling. The real question is, are _you_ okay?”

Roman sniffled and cuddled up to Logan. “Sort of. Maybe. I don’t know. What happened? Like, I remember most of it, but that last bit was a blur.”

“We broke in and got you out of there while Janus and Magi distracted the man who was keeping you there.” Logan wrapped his arm around Roman’s shoulders. “You’re safe now.”

Tears streamed down Roman’s cheeks. He buried his face in Logan’s shirt and cried. Logan awkwardly patted his shoulder.

At one point during the car ride, after Roman’s cries had faded into sniffles and hiccups, Remus stirred in his seat. He reached out and rolled the car window up and down multiple times.

“Remus?” Logan said softly. “You with us?”

It took Remus a moment to process Logan’s question. “Yeah, we... I think so.” He rubbed at his eyes. “Jesus Christ, what happened? How did I get here?” He glanced down. “Where did all this blood come from? Don’t tell me I killed someone. I don’t think I would do that, but if I did, I’m gonna have to have a stern talk with myself.”

“We broke in and rescued you. You swore at me multiple times. I may have shot someone, but that’s besides the point. How are you feeling?”

Remus sighed. “Not bad, I guess.” He groaned and lowered his face into his hands. “That’s one more traumatic memory to keep us up at night. Where are we going?”

“Back to Janus’s house. I’m sure your brother is worried as to where we all were for those few hours.”

Remus furrowed his brow. “Wait, how long were we gone?”

Logan checked his watch. “Since we left for drama practice at three, we’ve been gone for approximately five hours.”

“Five hours?” Roman whispered. “Oh, Virgil’s going to be so worried.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remus, scared of what's happening, wrestles his way out of Logan's arms and runs into the dark on his own. Logan runs after him. He bumps into Janus and nearly gets caught by the leader of Wrath's Blade, but he sprints after Remus before he can be seen. He finds Remus caught by another one of Wrath's workers and ends up surrounded. Luckily, Andy is still helping out and decides to cause some chaos by turning the lights on and off and playing sounds at full volume from everyone's phones. The Wrath workers are disoriented, so Logan grabs a gun one of them dropped and shoots the person holding Remus. He grabs Remus and runs to his exit. They both get out safely and Teal drives Logan and the twins back to Janus's place, where D.W. and Virgil are waiting to hear why they're so late coming home from drama practice.


	40. I Get Scolded By A Fifteen Year Old

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Logan and the twins return home to a frantic Virgil and a terrified D.W. Meanwhile, Thomas and Andy are able to leave the hospital and go to the Critic House to find Patton.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm going to start putting the characters' text messages in italics instead of quotation marks to make it easily distinguishable from actual dialogue. reading through past chapters where it's all quotations makes my brain go confused so i'm editing past chapters to have messages in italics

It didn’t take long to get to the house. Teal parked Logan’s car in the driveway. Roman reluctantly pulled away from Logan and hopped out of the car, Logan and Remus following close behind.

“I’ll go drive back for Janus,” Teal said. “He can bring your car back later.”

“Sounds good,” Logan said.

Logan led the kids up to the door. Roman clung tight to Logan, arms wrapped around Logan’s torso as if afraid that he would disappear if he let go. Remus lagged behind them, occasionally mumbling something to himself as he walked.

Logan opened the door and was immediately faced with a frantic D.W. and a panicked Virgil. “Where were you?” they demanded at the exact same time. Virgil was breathing heavily, tear tracks streaking down his face that smudged his eyeliner. He looked as if he’d just come out of a panic attack.

Logan didn’t miss how Remus flinched at D.W.’s voice. “Long story—”

“Where’s Janus?” D.W. interrupted. She glanced around the driveway as if he was hiding in the garage or something.

Virgil nudged D.W. aside. Roman let go of Logan and collided with Virgil, wrapping his arms around him tight. Virgil shot a glare up at Logan.

“You were gone for hours,” he said. “What the hell happened?”

Logan put a hand on D.W.’s shoulder and steered her back into the house. “Janus is fine. Let’s talk inside. It’s been a long day.”

Logan managed to guide D.W. to the armchair. Virgil and Roman sat on the couch. Remus shuffled in after them and plunked himself down next to Virgil.

Virgil’s eyes widened when he saw the red on Remus’s jeans. “Is that _blood?”_ he practically shrieked, eyes wide with panic.

“It’s not his!” Logan blurted. “Someone got shot—not Janus,” he added when he saw D.W. inhale sharply. He heaved a sigh.

“Drama practice may not have gone as planned,” Logan said. “An intern from the school kidnapped the twins. We had to break into a warehouse owned by Wrath to get them back.”

“That doesn’t answer my question as to where Janus is,” D.W. said. Her voice shook as she spoke. She kept looking at the door like she was expecting Janus to walk in at any minute.

Logan sighed. “He’s meeting with the leader of Wrath.”

D.W. deflated. She put her face in her hands and then raked her fingers through her tangled hair. “Jan, what the hell did you do?” she muttered. She pushed herself to her feet. “I have to be there, I have to make sure he’s safe.”

Logan grabbed D.W.’s arm before she could make it to the door. “You’re not going anywhere. I can assure you that Janus is fine. Magi is with him. It doesn’t look like you can do much protecting, anyway. You look like you just woke up from a coma.”

D.W. glanced down at her rumpled pyjama pants. “You’re right,” she relented. She rubbed at the bag sunder her eyes. “Are you sure he’s okay?”

“Positive. Where’s Diana?”

D.W. flopped back onto the couch. “Upstairs. Said she needed a few minutes to process everything that happened today.”

“Why don’t you go upstairs too and relax?” Logan suggested. “I’ll take care of the kids.”

“Gonna be pretty fuckin’ hard to relax when Janus is in danger,” D.W. muttered.

Logan crossed his arms, unwilling to budge on this topic. D.W. was not in any shape to be protecting anyone. “Dorothy,” he said firmly.

To his surprise, D.W. shot to her feet and stepped forward to she was right in his face. “You _don’t_ call me that,” she snapped. “You don’t have the god damn right...”

She clenched her jaw and glanced at the kids, then back at Logan. Her hand shook as she clenched and unclenched her fist. She shook her head at Logan. “Don’t you dare call me that,” she whispered, tears shining in her eyes.

She wiped at her tears and stormed off to the dining room. “I’m going to let Diana know you’re alive,” she said. She disappeared through the door.

“So.”

Logan turned to Virgil at the sound of his voice. Virgil sat on the couch, legs and arms crossed, icy cold glare levelled at Logan. Despite the fact that he was a fifteen year old wearing an oversized sweater, he looked almost like a disappointed mother.

“Mind telling me about this kidnapping?” he said, voice as cold as his glare.

Logan shifted on his feet, suddenly nervous. He had never seen this fiercely protective side of Virgil before.

Logan took a deep breath. “Okay. Before I continue, I would like to preface my statement by saying that everyone is physically unharmed, aside from me. I merely scratched myself, and I will get D.W. to stitch up the wound later. Janus is not present because he is meeting with the leader of another gang and he has Magi with him as a stand in bodyguard. Roman and Remus are both fine. Physically.”

The look on Virgil’s face made Logan feel like a kid who’d gotten caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Logan tried not to hunch his shoulders under his gaze.

“So, at drama practice,” Logan continued, “Roman and Remus went into the school while Janus and I decided to wait out in the car for them to be done. Um... funny story, Janus and I kind of got in an argument and lost track of time and the twins may or may not have gotten temporarily kidnapped. We broke in and got them back. Everyone is safe. Well, Janus maybe not, but he will be once the meeting is done.”

Virgil raised a brow. He only tore his gaze away from Logan for a second when Roman curled up on the couch and huddled into his side. Virgil wrapped an arm around Roman and gave him a reassuring squeeze.

Virgil turned his eyes back to Logan. “Janus was supposed to watch them,” he said. “I’m going to talk to him later,” he growled, and Logan wondered if “talk to Janus” actually meant “cuss out Janus for not taking care of the twins properly.”

“And I’m not done with you either, Specs,” Virgil said. “You’re responsible for this, too. You’re not taking care of them when I’m not around anymore.”

Having said his piece, Virgil gently untangled himself from Roman’s arms. “Remus, let’s go get you cleaned up, okay?” he said in a voice that was much softer than the one he’d just been using with Logan.

Remus nodded blankly as Virgil helped him to his feet. They shuffled off to the stairs together with Roman clinging to Virgil like a leech. Logan watched them go, guilt settling over him like a blanket. He really should have been paying attention to the kids, or better yet, insisted that he go into drama practice with them. Maybe all of this could have been avoided. And now Virgil was angry at him. It had taken almost two years for Virgil to trust Logan as much as he did, and now that trust was shattered.

He hefted his laptop bag with a sigh. While he was here, he might as well work out payments with MyChemicalAnxiety. It would help take his mind off what happened.

*******

Andy had been trying and failing to hack into Janus Chimera’s cell phone when Thomas stirred.

She shut her laptop and looked up. “Thomas?” she said. She reached out and nudged his shoulder. It had been over an hour since his surgery was finished, and Andy felt like she’d been waiting forever for him to wake up.

Thomas groaned and opened his eyes. He blinked in confusion. “What the hell happened?”

“You were shot,” Andy said. “You needed surgery to get the bullet removed.”

Thomas’s eyes widened a little. “Fuck, I can’t afford to pay for this.”

Andy hadn’t thought of that. She bit her lip, trying to think of any way they could get out of this, but no ideas popped up in her head.

Thomas sat up, wincing at the pain in his arm. “Least it wasn’t my left arm,” he muttered. “Where are Patton and Remy?”

“Patton got to the Critic House,” Andy said. “Remy was taken in for questioning. I’ve already thought of ways we can break him out. What do you think about hijacking a wrecking ball and smashing it through the police station?”

“We’re not knocking down the police station,” Thomas said firmly. “Not again.”

Andy heaved a sigh. “You kill all my joy.”

“Hey, I just got shot. I don’t want to do anything exciting right now.”

“Fair enough.” Andy leaned back in her seat. “How do you feel?”

Thomas gently poked at his bandages. “Like my arm was hit by a car.” He groaned. “I might have to take a loan from Chimera to help me pay for this. I hate owing them things.”

“Won’t they just give you money since you used to work for them?”

“They don’t work that way.” Thomas furrowed his brow. “But my boyfriend still works for them. Maybe I can get him to take out some money.”

Andy blinked. “Wait, you have a boyfriend? I told Remy you were single.”

“Why does that matter? Isn’t he dating Patton?”

“No, they’re both single. Haven’t you noticed that Remy’s been flirting with you?”

Thomas shook his head. “Andy, I’m an oblivious gay disaster. I get confused when even my boyfriend tries to flirt with me.” He settled back onto the bed with a grunt of pain. “What now?”

Andy shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess we wait until someone gives you the green light to leave, and then we head over to the Critic House.”

“Or the police station to break out Remy.”

“That too.”

Andy’s phone buzzed in her pocket. She dug it out and glanced at the screen. A text from Logic&Crofters had popped up on her screen. _We managed to get both of Patton’s children back safely,_ it read. _Thank you for your contributions. What payment method would you prefer?_

“Who is it?” Thomas asked.

“Just a hacker friend,” Andy answered. “Gimme a second.”

She read over the message a couple times, considering her options. This had just been a quick little side project, something to pass the time while she waited for her friend to wake up after surgery. It didn’t cost her anything, so she didn’t see any reason to get paid for it.

However, having someone in Chimera who owed her could certainly come in handy down the road.

 _i’ll ask you do to something for me in the future if i need it,_ she typed. _this task was no skin off my back. i don’t need payment right away._

A response appeared within a few seconds. _Of course it wouldn’t be any skin off your back. I don’t see how a hacking job would be able to remove any of your skin anywhere, not just off your back._

Andy snorted. _dude it’s a figure of speech. it wasn’t any problem. i regularly turn off the lights in wrath’s headquarters for fun. this was just something for me to do in my free time. really i should be the one thanking you for keeping me from getting bored._

_Ah, I understand. I’ll keep an eye out for any messages from you regarding a favour, then. Perhaps I’ll speak with you later._

_see ya nerd :P_

Andy put her phone away and stood. “I might as well get a nurse to check on you so we can figure out when we can leave.”

Once Andy called a doctor and a nurse into the room, they both examined Thomas’s wound, his bandages, his vitals, and questioned if he had any other detrimental symptoms. They concluded that he would be good to leave as soon as he felt up for it. Andy was relieved that his wound hadn’t been too serious. Otherwise, Thomas could have been horribly hurt, and it would have taken ages for them to be able to leave.

It still took a while to actually leave, but they got out of there at a decent time. It may have been eight o’clock and way past supper time, but they both agreed that they were going to eat as much pizza as they could handle as soon as they got to the Critic House. Andy hadn’t eaten since her little outing with Pryce. She grimaced at the memory of it.

They called a cab to take them to the Critic House, but they stopped the ride before they could get there. Andy had spotted Remy’s bike still parked where he’d stopped it when Thomas had gotten shot. Remy would die if anything happened to his bike. Andy didn’t want to just leave it out in the open.

Remy had his keys, but Andy was lucky she knew how to hotwire a motorcycle. Soon, the two of them were speeding off towards the Critic House. Andy tried to take it slow. She didn’t want to jostle Thomas too much since he could only hold onto her with one arm. He might fly off the bike right into the street.

The Critic House was just down the street, so it didn’t take long to get there. Andy gazed up at the hotel as she drove into the parking lot. The place didn’t look any different than she remembered.

Thomas stepped off the bike. “Guess we should go find Patton.”

Andy tensed. She wasn’t looking forward to the questions Patton would no doubt fire at her about the bag she’d taken from his weapons locker.

“Guess so.” She shouldered her laptop bag and started for the door.

Thomas was right on her heels. She pushed the doors open and peered into the lobby. Most of the couches were occupied by a variety of assassins, bounty hunters, hackers, and gang members. Hardly any of them looked up when Andy and Thomas walked in.

“Where might Patton be?” Thomas asked.

Andy glanced around at the dozens of people. A lady with a gun glared at her and she lowered her gaze. “I don’t know. Should we ask?”

Andy and Thomas stuck close together as they made their way to the front desk. Being in this place always set Andy on edge, despite the fact that no one could hurt her in here.

Andy cleared her throat when they reached the desk. “Hello.”

The receptionist looked up from his computer. He raised an eyebrow at the two do them. “Can I help you?”

“We’re looking for Patton Hart,” Andy said.

The receptionist scoffed. “You and everyone else, kid. Can’t tell you where he is, though. The boss doesn’t want people to know.”

Andy was hit by a wave of confusion at that. “The boss? Why? Does he know Patton?”

“That’s not my business to say, kid. However, he did tell us to watch out for a few people, and you seem to fit those descriptions. Are you both gay? Never mind, stupid question. Of course you are. You wouldn’t dress like that if you were straight. What are your names?”

Andy and Thomas exchanged a confused look. “I’m Thomas Sanders and she’s Andy,” Thomas said finally.

The receptionist sighed. “Hang on.” He grabbed the phone on the desk and dialed a number. “Mr. Critique, Hart’s friends are here. You wanna see them, or should I send them up?” He paused. “Okay.” He hung up. “Patton’s room is on the fourth floor. Tell the guards outside his door that Erin sent you. They’ll let you in, probably.”

Andy didn’t quite know what to do about this, but she took Thomas’s wrist. “Come on, I guess.”

They made their way to an elevator and stepped out onto the fourth floor. Just as they left the elevator, Andy realized that the receptionist hadn’t told them which room was Patton’s.

However, it wasn’t hard to figure it out. The only room in the hallway that had guards in front of it was room 456. She and Thomas hurried up to it.

“Um, hi,” Andy said. “Erin sent us. We’re Patton’s friends.”

Both security guards looked at each other, then back at Thomas and Andy. One of them knocked on the door. “Mr. Hart, you’ve got guests.”

Patton’s voice was muffled through the door. “Who is it?”

“It’s Thomas and Andy!” Andy called.

The knob jiggled and the door swung open. Patton appeared from behind it. He’d shed his denim jacket and swapped his jeans out for sweatpants. His clothes were rumpled and his hair was tousled as if he’d just woken up from a nap.

He stepped aside. “Come in.”

Thomas and Andy slipped into the room. Patton shut the door behind them. “How’s your arm?” he asked Thomas.

“Could be better,” Thomas said. “How are you doing?”

Patton’s finger twitched. “Could be better.” He crossed his arms. “That’s not really what I want to talk to you about, though.”

Andy tensed as Patton reached behind the nightstand and picked up a black bag, the same one Andy had stolen from his weapons locker and given him earlier that day. He flipped the bag open, revealing the brightly coloured contents.

“You have some explaining to do,” he said, glaring at Andy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i might write a short oneshot about what happened at the house with D.W., Virgil, and Diana while the others were dealing with the kidnapping stuff. y'all KNOW they were not having a good time when the others didn't get home on time


	41. Remy Vs. A Real Life Trolley Problem

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Patton has a discussion with Andy. Remy is still torn by the decision he needs to make, but it seems Ace Spencer has a solution.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> listen i've never watched Kill In The Blank and i KNOW Thomas's detective character doesn't act like Ace, but i've given Detective Sanders this personality and now you all must live with it. also the detective character doesn't get enough appreciation, i think he should be in more fics
> 
> i don't think any warnings apply to this chapter, but if i missed something, please let me know!

Andy took a deep breath. “Okay, I can explain—”

“You found out I was Poison Dart and broke into my weapons locker,” Patton interrupted.

Andy blinked. “Okay, so maybe that kind of sums it up. Just sit down, don’t kill me, and let me explain everything.”

Patton sat down on the bed, arms crossed. “I’m listening.” He wasn’t actually super mad about Andy going through his stuff, but it still felt like an invasion of privacy. That weapons locker was part of his past. He didn’t want someone rummaging through it.

Andy sat at the desk in the corner of the room and turned the chair to face Patton. “Okay, so I might have overheard you telling Thomas that you were Poison Dart, but I had no idea what that meant. I looked into it and found out that you probably used to be an assassin. I didn’t know for sure, so Pryce and I followed a lead to the old Glassed Hearts base.” She took something out of her pocket. “We found this.”

Andy tossed it to him. He snatched it out of the air without tearing his gaze away from Andy. He peered down at what she’d tossed him. He recognized the little blue and orange poison dart frog keychain immediately.

Patton scoffed. “I dropped these everywhere.” He leaned down and reached into his backpack. He pulled out a keychain identical to the one Andy had thrown him. “I had like six of these made last time I was there. I wouldn’t be surprised if the owner of this hotel has a box of all the keys I’ve lost here.” He tossed both keychains into his backpack. “So what did you do?”

“That’s it, really,” Andy said. “We went to your weapons locker, and I took something so Pryce and I could ask you about it later.” Her face flushed and she fiddled with a black brooch on her sweater that Patton hadn’t noticed before. “We were going to ask you about it together, but I guess she had better things to do.”

“Yeah, like getting me shot,” Thomas grumbled.

Patton groaned in exasperation. “I had to go threaten that bounty hunter at the hotel, and now you and Pryce know who I am. This is just perfect.”

“I won’t tell anyone!” Andy blurted.

“It’s not you I’m worried about,” Patton sighed. “It’s Pryce. She’s just out there with that information. That other bounty hunter probably won’t say anything to anyone who matters. He was scared shitless. But Pryce doesn’t know why it’s a big deal. She could say anything to anyone.”

“I don’t think she will,” Andy said. “And I’m not defending her or anything. I just don’t think she’ll say anything. She won’t think it’s important enough to mention. And if she does know it’s important, she would probably sell the information or something, not give it out freely.”

Patton was not reassured by that. He didn’t trust Pryce. He hadn’t trusted her from the beginning. Her running around with that information set him on edge.

“Where’s Remy?” he asked, choosing to change the subject.

“He was taken into the police station for questioning,” Andy answered. “If he’s not here by tomorrow, I will personally break in and get him myself.”

Patton wasn’t exactly relieved to hear that Remy was in the hands of the police. They might have known he’s acquainted with Patton and were grilling him for information. Patton was less worried about himself and more worried about Remy. Would he be okay with the police until they released him? Would they even release him?

The phone on the nightstand rang. He snatched it up to stop the noise, then hesitantly pressed it to his ear. “Hello?”

“Poison, darling!” Dice’s voice boomed through the receiver. “Honey, I heard that your friends dropped in and I just have to meet them. Especially the gay boy, you said he wears a red leather jacket and I love guys who can pull off red. Is he single?”

Patton rubbed the bridge of his nose to quell his growing headache. “I don’t know. I think he’s single? Please don’t flirt with him. Your dumbass cousin already did that and I don’t need you to embarrass me too.”

“Fine, fine,” Dice said. “Anyway, would you and your friends be willing to come upstairs? I would love to meet them.”

“Remy isn’t here yet. Should we wait for him?”

“Oh, no, I’ll fill him in on everything later. I just want to get acquainted with your crowd. Don’t worry about getting dolled up for me, baby, I’m sure I can handle seeing you in something other than a polo shirt and a dirty hoodie. You’ve been running for a while. You deserve a break, hon.”

Patton resisted the urge to sigh. “Just please don’t be too extravagant and loud. I’ve got a headache coming on.”

“Darling, if I’m not extra as hell, what am I supposed to be? What’s life without living out a few gay stereotypes, hmm?”

“Dice,” Patton groaned.

“Fine, I’ll tone it down,” Dice relented. “In fact, why don’t you take your old room in the penthouse? It hasn’t been cleaned out since you disappeared. I can accommodate for your friends, too.”

“Dice—”

“Bring your stuff upstairs, hon! I’ll have people set up some guest rooms for your friends. See you in a few minutes!”

Patton heard a click as Dice hung up. He heaved a sigh and set the phone down.

“Who was that?” Thomas asked.

“Owner of the hotel,” Patton said. “He wants to meet you.”

“Why?” Thomas squeaked. “We haven’t broken any rules, have we?”

Patton ran a hand through his hair. “Nope. But you are going to get heavily critiqued on your fashion choices and encouraged to drink a lot of coffee.”

Andy grinned. “I love visiting his penthouse. He’s a fun guy to party with.” Andy stood. “Let’s go see him. It’s been a while since I’ve seen the guy.”

“Fine.” Patton grabbed his backpack and slung it over his shoulder. He also took the bag Andy had given him. He didn’t want to leave that behind for someone to find.

He opened the door. “Can you take these two up to Dice’s penthouse?” Patton said to the security guards outside his room. “I need to go cancel my reservation.”

Both guards nodded. They all started down the hall towards the elevator, Thomas and Andy trailing after them. Patton hit the button for the main floor. No one spoke as the elevator travelled down.

The door opened and he stepped out. A hush fell over the lobby and everyone turned to look at him. He ignored them and made a beeline for the front desk as the elevator continued on. He didn’t have the patience to deal with this.

“I want to cancel my room reservation,” Patton said. He dug his key card out of his pocket and set it on the desk.

The receptionist raised an eyebrow. “You’re not staying here anymore?”

“No, I am. I’m staying in the penthouse with Dice. I don’t need a room for myself.” Patton turned and walked back to the elevator, ignoring the shocked look on the receptionist’s face. “Just cancel the reservation.”

He blocked out the quiet whispers of everyone else around him as he pressed the elevator button. The doors opened and he stepped in. The last thing he saw before they slid shut was everyone in the lobby staring at him.

Patton grimaced. He hated all the attention he was getting from that stupid bounty.

He waited as the elevator rose up to the top floor. The doors slid open and he stepped out into the penthouse. Thomas and Andy were both already sat on a couch in the living room, each one with a cup of coffee in their hands. Dice sat on the couch opposite them. His face lit up when Patton walked in.

Dice set down his mug of coffee and walked towards Patton with his arms open, as if he hadn’t seen him in ages. “Poison!” He took Patton by the shoulders and planted a kiss on each cheek. “Honey, it’s so good to see you. I’m so glad you’re letting me do this for you.” He held Patton at arm’s length and looked him up and down. “Oh, but you do look rather dreadful. Come sit down, darling, you’ll feel better after some coffee.”

Patton let Dice drag him to the couch. Dice sat Patton down on the cushions and then plopped himself down right next to him. “So, how do you two know Poison Dart?” he asked, pouring a mug of coffee for Patton.

Andy shrugged. “My friend Remy introduced us.”

“Oh, don’t worry, hon, I already know Remy. He’s my cousin.”

Andy gave Dice a once-over. “That doesn’t surprise me. You look very similar.”

Dice held a mug of coffee out to Patton. “Here. Drink up, hon. You need a pick-me-up.” He patted Patton’s cheek. “Really, you look beat.”

“Thanks, Dice, I know.” Patton took a sip of coffee. A dull ache settled behind his eyes. “Do you have any Tylenol or anything?”

“Of course, dear.” Dice turned to shout at the security guards standing at the elevator. “Get some Tylenol please!”

One of the guards rushed across the room towards the hallway. Dice leaned back in his seat, holding his own mug of coffee. “Patton was right, you are both obviously gay. I don’t know a single straight girl that would dress like you, hon. I feel like I know you. You’re Andrea, right?”

“Just call me Andy, man.” Andy chugged half her coffee and set the mug down.

Dice nodded. “Oh, right, you’re that one emo lesbian who never talks to anyone. How are you, darling?”

“Could be better. But I’ve got a couple questions. First off, how do you know Patton?”

Dice wrapped an arm around Patton’s shoulders. “Oh, Poison and I go way back. Back when he worked for—”

Patton jabbed his elbow into Dice’s side to shut him up. Dice raised an eyebrow and shot him a confused glance. Patton lightly shook his head.

Dice cleared his throat. “Back when he was involved in our business,” he said with a wink in Patton’s direction, “Poison stayed here whenever he needed a break. He really has changed since then. Why, I remember twelve years ago, he wouldn’t even let me within three feet of him.”

Thomas looked back and forth between Dice and Patton. He narrowed his eyes but didn’t say anything. Patton shrugged Dice’s arm off so he could scratch at his shoulder.

A security guard walked back in. They stopped in front of Patton and held out two tablets of Tylenol. “Thank you,” Patton said as he took them.

Dice patted Patton’s back. “Hon, you really do look tired. Why don’t I get you something to eat? What would you like? We have soup. Do you want soup?”

“Dice—”

“Bring us four bowls of soup!” Dice called. Both security guards rushed off to the kitchen.

Patton sighed. He tossed the two Tylenol pills into his mouth and chased them with a gulp of coffee. Andy and Dice launched into a conversation about their jobs as Thomas awkwardly sat by and drank his coffee. Patton had heard enough about Dice’s career to last him a lifetime, so he tuned them out.

His thoughts wandered to Remy. He took his phone out of his pocket and glanced at the screen. Remy hadn’t texted him yet.

Patton typed out a text. _Hey, are you okay? Let me know when you get here. The hotel’s owner wants to see you._

He fired off the text and flipped his phone shut. He hoped Remy was okay.

He rested his head on Dice’s shoulder and waited for a response.

*******

This was not the first time Remy had been in jail, and he was pretty sure it wouldn’t be the last.

That being said, it was the first time he was being held in a cell so he could ponder a horrible moral dilemma with equally distressing options. He paced back and forth in his cell, considering his choices. He could either trick Patton into leaving the Critic House so Wrath could get their dirty hands on him and do who knows what with him, choose to keep Patton safe and condemn Roman and Remus to torture and possibly death, or do nothing and get everyone killed.

God, this was worse than that fucking trolley problem.

Remy stuck a cigarette in his mouth and lit it. He had no idea how long he’d been in here, but it had to have been hours. Officer Chandler had confiscated his phone, and he didn’t have a watch, so he couldn’t tell what time it was. At least she hadn’t taken his lighter or his cigarettes. He was pretty sure she was supposed to, but Ace must have convinced her to leave that alone. He hoped Ace hadn’t done that expecting Remy to pay him a favour. It was also a plus that she’d taken off his cuffs.

Remy groaned and sat down on the metal bed. He couldn’t do it. He couldn’t make a decision. It was Patton’s life or the twins. He knew Patton would urge him to spare the kids, but that knowledge just made it harder for him to choose. Patton didn’t deserve to get stuck with Wrath.

His thoughts drifted back to the memory of what he’d seen earlier. That tattoo on Patton’s shoulder and the clear implication of what it was doing on his skin would haunt Remy until he heard the full story. After seeing Patton shoot someone in the head from that distance, Remy suspected that Patton might have been involved in some really dangerous things, maybe even been an assassin, but how was Remy to know that Patton used to work for the gang he was running from?

That orange W inked on Patton’s shoulder was not just something he did as a random show of faith for working one contract with Wrath’s Blade. That was a gesture of lifelong dedication. Remy had bumped into enough members of Wrath with that same tattoo to know that. And the fact that Patton hadn’t gotten it covered up or crossed out in the past ten years made it all the more concerning to Remy.

If Remy really thought that all members of Wrath were awful, this decision would be so easy. But he’d known people who had left Wrath, including Ace, and some of them were just good people caught up in bad things. Maybe Patton was the same. Remy had seen Patton with his kids. Would a bad person really care so much about a group of lonely children?

Remy ran a hand through his hair. Even knowing that Patton used to work for one of the worst gangs in the country, he still couldn’t make himself choose without feeling like he was going to throw up.

Something hit the bars of the cell. He flinched and looked up. Officer Chandler stood there with a grin on her face.

“How are you holding up, Dormir?” she asked. “Make a decision yet?”

Remy took his cigarette out of his mouth. “What do you want?”

Chandler shrugged. “Just here to remind you that the clock is ticking. You’ve got ‘til morning to figure it out. Make sure you make the right decision. You wouldn’t want to have a couple of dead kids on your hands, would you?”

Remy narrowed his eyes, but he didn’t say anything. He couldn’t even argue with that.

“Ace can bring you something to eat later if you’re hungry,” Chandler said. “Don’t want you dying of starvation before tomorrow morning.”

She gave him one last grin and walked off. She disappeared through the door that led out of the cells.

Remy watched her go. She was right. He did need to make a decision. Otherwise, everyone would end up dead.

Remy’s stomach flipped. Patton would never forgive him if he chose him over the twins. He had to do what they wanted. He had to get Patton out of the Critic House.

He stood up and started pacing again. He felt nauseous at the thought of turning Patton in, but he just couldn’t sacrifice the twins for this. That made him feel even worse. They were _kids._

Remy heaved a sigh and put out his cigarette against the wall. In all his years of working in the crime business, he had never ended up in a hostage situation like this.

Remy yelped as the lights blinked out. He grabbed his lighter and flicked it on to give himself some light. He squinted through the dark. Nothing seemed out of place in the room of cells, but he couldn’t see well in the dark, so it was anyone’s guess as to what was going on. Maybe there was a blackout.

The door opened again. Remy scowled. “What do you want now?”

Surprisingly, it wasn’t Officer Chandler’s voice that responded. “Is that any way to talk to the person who’s going to break you out of here?”

Remy looked up. A flashlight beam glared in his face. He let his lighter go out and raised a hand to block the light. He couldn’t see anything with it shining in his eyes like that.

“Ace, stop being a dick,” Remy snapped. “Lower the flashlight.”

Ace’s voice laughed in response. The beam of light redirected so it was aimed at the wall. Remy squinted through the faint light. Sure enough, Ace was leaning against the bars of Remy’s cell, a smirk plastered on his face.

“You can’t get me out,” Remy said. “If I’m not here, they’re going to kill two kids that I know. Leave me here.”

“Oh, but Rem,” Ace said, “that’s not the only reason I’m here.”

Remy raised a brow. “Why else would you be here?”

“I’m upholding my end of the deal. And I want to watch the bloodbath. My money’s on the bounty hunter, by the way.”

Ace stepped aside, and someone else walked into view. Remy clenched his fists at the sight of their bright red hair and spotless white jacket.

“Hey Sunglasses,” Pryce said.


	42. I'm Mad At Janus, But He Looks Tired So I'll Cut Him Some Slack

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone is safe for the time being. Although Virgil is angry at Janus for letting Roman and Remus out of his sight, they've all had a difficult few days and need to unwind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> y'all... you have no idea how excited i am to post chapter 48. i had so much fun writing that chapter hmfnfgmfmfnh
> 
> anyway, shit's been pretty crazy for these guys so i'll give them a short break

When Janus got home, he wasn’t expecting to be faced with an angry fifteen year old.

He opened the door and let out a sigh. He was tired and overwhelmed, but at the same time, he felt better than he had in a while. Dealing with the leader of Wrath’s Blade was exhausting, yet invigorating. It had been a long time since Janus allowed himself to get angry.

“Hey, Chimera.”

Janus looked up. Virgil stood there in the living room in front of him, arms crossed. Roman and Remus were both curled up on the couch together, staring at him with twin expressions of curiosity.

“Hello, Virgil,” Janus said. “Where is everyone else?”

“Upstairs. But that’s not what I’m here to talk to you about.” He gestured to Roman and Remus, narrowing his eyes at Janus. “What the hell happened?” he snapped.

Janus’s shoulders slumped. He didn’t have the energy to deal with this right now. “Logan and I lost track—”

“You were supposed to watch them!” Virgil shouted.

“I know, I just—”

“Why didn’t you keep an eye on them? _How_ did they get kidnapped?”

“Virgil, please!” Janus interrupted. He had just gotten repeatedly yelled at by one of the most angry people on the planet. He didn’t have the patience for this.

Virgil took a step back. He crossed his arms again, but he lowered his glare. “What happened?” he asked quieter, his tone still cold.

Janus took a deep breath. “I didn’t want this to happen any more than you did. Logan and I got into a slight argument, and we lost track of time. We never meant to let this happen. I’m sorry. Not just to you, Virgil, but to both of you,” he said, looking at Roman and Remus. “I really am sorry.”

Virgil chewed on his bat necklace. “Okay. I get it. You’re off the hook, Chimera, just because you look like you got revived from the dead and you want to crawl back into your own grave.” He grimaced. “But I’m still fucking upset with you.”

“I understand,” Janus said, relieved that Virgil wasn’t going to grill him for details at the moment. “I’m going to go upstairs for a few minutes, and then we’ll figure something out for supper.”

He didn’t wait for a response before he made his way upstairs. He wanted to collapse and go to sleep as soon as he entered his room, but he had a few problems to deal with first.

One of those problems was Logan.

Janus walked into his room to see Logan sitting on the bed, laptop in front of him, muttering to himself as he typed. His tie was crooked and his hair was disheveled. He looked up when Janus stepped in.

“Ah, Janus.” He pushed his glasses up his nose. “How was your meeting with the leader of Wrath?”

Janus shut the door and leaned against it. “Infuriating, but liberating.”

Logan raised a brow. “Liberating?”

Janus pushed off the door and shucked off his jacket. “I don’t often let myself get angry. With him, we can scream back and forth to our hearts’ content. It’s tiring, but I enjoy it, to a degree.”

“That doesn’t sound like a healthy relationship,” Logan commented.

“We don’t need to have a healthy relationship. We’re strictly enemies. Nothing more, nothing less.” Janus tossed his jacket to the floor and walked over to the bed. He sat on the edge and looked at Logan. “We never got to finish our conversation from earlier, did we?”

Logan tensed. He took his hands away from his keyboard. “What conversation?”

“Darling, you’re too smart to play dumb. You know exactly what I’m talking about.”

Logan paused. He shut his laptop. “I know,” he muttered.

Janus scooted closer to Logan on the bed. “I know you’re afraid to talk about it, darling. But I would like to sort this out. Why does it frustrate you so much when you don’t know things?”

“I...” Logan tugged on his tie. “I don’t know. Are you sure it’s not a problem?”

Janus reached out and took Logan’s hand. “Moonlight, you can tell me anything. I promise. You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, but maybe I can help.”

Logan squeezed Janus’s hand. “It’s complicated,” he muttered. “I just don’t feel... _think_ that I feel the right away about things. I want someone to tell me how to feel so I know I’m not feeling wrong.”

Janus took Logan’s hand in both of his and ran his thumb over Logan’s knuckles. He didn’t know why Logan felt that way, but he wasn’t about to prod him for answers.

He raised one hand and set it on Logan’s cheek. “Life has not been kind to you, has it, Moonlight?”

Logan blinked furiously, like he was holding back tears. He leaned into Janus’s hand. “It’s complicated,” he whispered.

Janus sighed. He wished more than anything that he could help Logan, but it would probably take a few appointments with a therapist before Logan was ready to open up about anything.

Janus planted a kiss on Logan’s forehead. “We’ve all had a rough day. I’ll tell you what; how about we put on some pyjamas, you go pick a movie to watch, and I’ll order pizza for all of us. D.W. and the kids can join us for a movie if you want.”

Logan smiled a little. “That might help.”

*******

“Like, a family movie night?”

Mr. Chimera shrugged as he paced back and forth in the downstairs living room, holding his phone in front of him. “Sure, why not? I mean, we’ve all had a rough day. You had a full panic attack at the university,” he said to D.W. He gestured to the twins. “Those two were kidnapped, for goodness sake. Diana had to deal with talking to me about her girlfriend who’s currently in a coma. Logan has some serious self-worth issues he needs to work through. Virgil had to deal with, what, five mental breakdowns over the past couple days?”

“Only four,” Virgil corrected from where he sat on the couch, scrolling through his phone. “But yeah, it’s been brutal.” He wasn’t actually paying attention to his phone. It was hard to when Janus was talking.

“And I had to talk to the most infuriating man on Earth, and now I’m exhausted.” Mr. Chimera peered at his phone screen. “Say, how many pieces of pizza do you kids generally eat in one sitting? D.W. usually eats half a pizza by herself, I only have three pieces at the most, and Logan tends to only have two. I need to know if we need to buy two or three pizzas.”

D.W. heaved a sigh. “Jan, you’re overthinking it. Just get three and we’ll have leftovers. And make sure there are onions and mushrooms on my side of the pizza.”

“No onions, please,” Virgil called without looking up. “I hate the way they feel when you bite them. Mushrooms, too.”

“Noted.” Janus turned to the others. “Diana, Roman, Remus? Any input?”

Diana jumped when Janus said her name, as if she hadn’t been expecting him to address her. “Oh. Um, I’m okay with anything.” She paused. “Actually, I like pepperoni. That’s my only request.”

“I’m down for whatever,” Roman and Remus said at the same time.

Janus started typing their order into his phone. “What movie are we watching? Logan, have you chosen what you want to watch?”

The door to the dining room opened. Mr. Minder shuffled out in a pair of pyjama pants and a t-shirt with a bright yellow snake on it. He straightened his glasses. “I don’t know,” he muttered.

Janus paused next to Mr. Minder in his pacing and planted a kiss on his cheek. “Let me know when you decide.”

Mr. Minder sighed. “It’s kind of stupid.”

“Nothing you say is stupid,” Janus said.

Mr. Minder glanced at the T.V. “Well... Treasure Planet is on Netflix.”

Diana sat up with a smile. “That’s my favourite movie! I’ll get it set up!” She grabbed the remote off the coffee table.

Roman nodded in approval. “A classic Disney movie. You have good taste, nerd.” He looked Mr. Minder up and down. “Well, in movies at least. Your fashion sense could use some work.”

“To be fair, that is one of my shirts,” Janus said. “It’s my fashion sense you’re criticizing.”

“Well, it couldn’t hurt you to wear something other than a suit every once in a while,” Roman commented.

Mr. Minder shrugged. “I, for one, think he looks lovely in a suit.”

Virgil fake gagged. He scrambled out of his chair. “I’m gonna go throw up. And put on my pyjamas.” He pointed at Roman and Remus. “Don’t get kidnapped while I’m gone.”

Remus gave him a thumbs up and a crooked grin. “You got it, Virge.”

Virgil glared at Janus. “Watch them.” He turned and went upstairs.

He didn’t really want to let Roman and Remus out of his sight. Not after knowing that they got kidnapped after being left in Janus and Logan’s care. He gave Roman and Remus one last nervous glance before he retreated into the dining room to go upstairs.

He quickly changed into his pyjamas and put his sweater on over top. He didn’t particularly know why Janus was offering to have a movie night with all of them, but Virgil didn’t really want to skip out on it. He, Roman, and Remus usually had movie nights with Dad when they were all having tough days. This was something familiar.

Virgil made for the door, but he paused when he looked at his nightstand. Right next to where Draculaura was propped up on her stand was the letter Dad had written him. He still hadn’t read the first part of it. A pang of sadness hit his heart as soon as he laid eyes on it. He missed Dad. Maybe it was time he read what Dad wrote for him.

He took the letter and shoved it in his pocket. He would read it later tonight. Or tomorrow. Maybe.

When he got downstairs, Diana was sitting on the floor in front of the T.V., eagerly waiting for everyone else to be ready to start watching. Logan sat criss-cross on the couch next to D.W., while Roman and Remus were busy whispering back and forth with each other. Janus was still pacing the living room in his yellow pyjamas, for once without the gloves he usually sported. He still wore that necklace he’d been wearing all day, but he’d put the pendant in his mouth and was rolling it between his teeth.

“That’s not a chewable pendant, is it?” Virgil said.

Janus paused in his pacing. He spat out the pendant. “I didn’t know I was doing that.”

Logan glanced over. “Jan, were you doing the chewing thing again?”

“If by ‘the chewing thing’ you mean he just put something random in his mouth and bit it, then yeah,” Virgil said.

Janus’s face flushed with embarrassment. He crossed his arms. “Well, you can’t exactly judge me.”

Virgil glanced down at his bat necklace. “Touché, Chimera. You got me there.”

“You can buy a chew necklace,” D.W. said. “Just stop chewing on your hand. Go put on your gloves.”

Janus blinked as if he’d only just realized he’d started gnawing on the skin on the back of his thumb. He took his hand away from his mouth and sighed. “I’ll go find something else to chew on.” He turned and walked down the hall towards the kitchen.

“As long as it’s not Logan’s—” Remus stopped short before he could finish his joke, regret written on every inch of his face.

Diana covered her mouth, stifling her shocked laughter. D.W. snorted but covered it up with a cough. Roman hit Remus with a throw pillow and then covered his ears just in case Remus decided to keep talking.

Logan narrowed his eyes. “Do you want to finish that sentence, Remus?”

Remus glanced at Logan, then Diana, then Roman. “Dick!” he shouted. He scrambled to his feet and scampered off towards the bathroom door, cackling like a madman.

Virgil snorted. At least Roman and Remus seemed to be holding up okay, despite the hard day they had. That might change when it came time to go to bed, but he hoped they would be able to sleep okay. Then again, Remus had never really been able to sleep well, but hopefully Roman wouldn’t be too haunted by getting kidnapped to sleep.

Virgil turned to the hallway. “I’m going to get a snack. Let me know when the pizza gets here.”

D.W. gave him a thumbs up. He walked up to the kitchen door. He nudged it open and peeked inside. Janus stood at the sink, washing his hands. He shut off the faucet and shook his hands to dry them, grimacing as he did so.

“Is the chewing thing why you wear gloves?” Virgil blurted.

Janus looked up. He grabbed a towel and vigorously scrubbed his hands dry. “Partially,” he said. “Why do you ask?”

Virgil shrugged. “Just curious.” He furrowed his brow. He had another question, but he wasn’t sure if asking that would be too personal.

“Something on your mind?” Janus asked.

Virgil hesitated. “I don’t know if I should ask.”

“If it’s about me, I can almost guarantee that whatever it is, it won’t offend me.” Janus set the towel down. He cringed. “God, I hate washing my hands.” He walked to the pantry and started rummaging through it.

Virgil steeled his nerves. “Are you autistic?”

“Yes,” Janus said, to Virgil’s surprise. “It’s undiagnosed, because the only therapist I’m willing to see is a man who’s married to my cousin—er, former cousin, long story—but since we’re legally related, he can’t diagnose me with anything.” He grabbed a container of popcorn kernels off a shelf. “Hey, do you and your brothers like popcorn?”

“Yeah.” Virgil tugged on his necklace. “You’re... you’re not making a big deal out of that? You’re just chill with me asking that?”

“Yes, why wouldn’t I be?” Janus set the popcorn on the counter and rummaged through a cupboard.

“I dunno. All my foster parents treated it like a bad thing. That’s just kind of what I expect from adults.” Virgil hauled himself onto the island and sat down, swinging his legs. “Speaking of parents, you did promise me an explanation about what happened with you and my dad.”

Janus paused. “Oh. Right. I nearly forgot.” He grabbed a pot from the cupboard and set it on the stove. “Are you quite sure you want to hear it?”

“Yeah. I don’t know anything about what Dad had to do with your business. I want to know.”

Janus turned on the stove. “Well... in short, your father was an assassin ten years ago. D.W. and I had just become the leaders of Chimera, and your father was hired to kill me. He didn’t go through with it.”

“There has to be more to it than that,” Virgil said. “Why is he on the run now? What does Logan have to do with all of this? Why do you owe Dad a favour?”

“Logan actually had nothing to do with your father’s career,” Janus said. He glanced at the open door, as if making sure no one else was listening. “Logan doesn’t even know about it,” he said in a hushed voice, “so keep this under wraps for now.”

Virgil raised an eyebrow. “Mr. Minder doesn’t know Dad used to be an assassin? But they’ve been friends since they were kids.”

“Friends can keep secrets,” Janus said. “There are things D.W. and I have to keep from each other concerning our job. It’s all for the good of the other person in most cases. Patton never told Logan, likely because he didn’t know Logan was part of the criminal underground himself. However, even if he did know Logan was a hacker, he probably wouldn’t have said anything. Patton was very well known back then. He still is, really. He’s almost a legend.”

“But who hired him to kill you?”

“Wrath’s Blade, back when it was run by the current leader’s father.”

Virgil blinked. “Wait, but isn’t Wrath the group of people that Dad is running from?”

“Exactly.” Janus poured a cup of popcorn kernels into the pot with some cooking oil. “Patton went against the contract he was bound to. Instead of killing me, he killed the old leader of Wrath. Ever since then, the old leader’s son has been hellbent on finding Patton. He did a good job of hiding himself. It’s been ten years, and Wrath has only just now found him.”

“Dad used to work for them?” Virgil said. He found that a little hard to believe. Dad was the nicest man Virgil had ever met, and Wrath’s Blade sounded so... bad.

“Yes, but...” Janus raised a finger to his lips. “You didn’t hear that from me. Secret stuff.”

“If you’re telling me, why won’t you tell Mr. Minder?”

Janus’s grin fell. “That’s a little complicated. I don’t know what Logan’s reaction would be if he knew. I mean, telling you is easy. You’re Patton Hart’s son, but you don’t even know the first thing about this business. You just think it’s cool that your father is like those hitmen from the movies. You’re not personally affected by it. Patton was the most infamous assassin in America for years. He’s responsible for so much damage, and he did all of that while going to university with Remy and Logan. If Logan found out Patton used to be that dangerous, I don’t know what he would do.”

“Is this why you owe Dad? Because he didn’t kill you?”

“Precisely. He risked his life by going against Wrath’s Blade.” Janus put a lid over the pot and leaned against the counter. He bit at the skin around the nail of his thumb.

Virgil idly kicked his legs. “How long was he working with Wrath?”

Janus stopped biting at his hand for a moment. “That’s a question I think Patton should answer.”

A popcorn kernel popped on the stove. Janus took the pot and swished the popcorn around as it began to pop.

“We’re starting the movie!” Diana called from the living room.

“Also, the pizza’s here!” Mr. Minder’s voice shouted.

“We’ll be out in a minute!” Janus yelled. He nodded towards the door. “You want to go watch the movie? I’ll be there as soon as I’m done with the popcorn.”

“Is that all you have to tell me about Dad?”

“Well, there’s not much more to the story that I can tell you. I know your father had some powerful allies and strong connections in this business, and he severed almost all of them when he faked his death. He left most of his family behind when he did that, but I don’t blame him. His family wasn’t great.”

“He faked his death?” Virgil gasped. “Hang on, you forgot to mention that before. Is Dad like, legally dead?”

“Not quite. He only faked the death of himself as an assassin. Poison Dart is dead to the world, but Patton Hart still lives.”

“Poison Dart?” Virgil whispered. A thrill of excitement rushed through him. “That’s so cool. He had an alter ego? Like a supervillain?”

Janus chuckled. “I guess you could call it that. Poison Dart was feared across the country. Still is, really. But your father’s let go of that life. That’s why he’s running from it.” He shook the pot of popcorn. “Why don’t you go out and watch the movie? This is going to be done soon, anyway.”

Virgil hopped off the island. “Sure. Uh, thanks for telling me about that, Chimera.”

Janus shrugged. “I figured you would want to know, considering that interest of yours in assassins. Besides, if I didn’t tell you, you would just keep asking and asking and asking—”

Virgil nudged Janus with his elbow. “Yeah, okay, I get it,” he said with a grin. He started for the door, but he paused as he remembered his and Diana’s conversation from earlier. It couldn’t hurt to ask, could it?

“Hey, Janus?”

“Yeah?”

Virgil took a deep breath. “So... Dad never got us into therapy, partially because I was too scared and Remus thought he didn’t need it, but also because we’re not legally his kids so he couldn’t. But you do illegal shit all the time, right?”

Janus turned away from the stove to look at Virgil. “You want me to get you into therapy?”

Virgil nodded. “I think so. Maybe. I don’t know. How soon could you do it?”

“Well,” Janus muttered, “I could probably call Emile Picani and get him to talk to you as soon as tomorrow. The man is a trained therapist as well as a certified Chimera leader. He’ll be doing some damage control around the bank anyway, since things have gotten a little crazy around Clawmore lately and we could use the extra help. Is tomorrow too early?”

Virgil considered it. “What time tomorrow?”

Janus shrugged. “We’ll be meeting him between nine and ten and we’ll be sorting things out for a while, but I’m sure he’ll make time for you. The man always tries to cram his schedule as full as possible. If he wasn’t busy at all hours of the day, I think he would implode.”

Virgil felt a spike of anxiety. He could get a therapy session tomorrow. But along with that anxiety came a little bit of relief. He could get some help.

“I’ll think about it.” Virgil turned to the door. “I’ll save you some pizza.”


	43. A Lesbian Breaks Me Out Of Jail

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Remy is finally able to leave the police station with Pryce and Ace's help. When they get to the Critic House, Remy learns some things about Patton that he isn't sure he wanted to know.

Remy lunged to his feet and glared at Pryce through the bars of his cell. “What the hell are you doing here?”

“Busting you out of jail, what does it look like?” Pryce scoffed.

Remy turned his glower to Ace. “Why did you bring her here?”

Ace shrugged. “You wanted to see her, she and I both want to get you out of jail. Killing two birds with one stone.”

“Why do _you_ want to get me out?” Remy snapped at Pryce.

Pryce sighed. “It’s complicated, man. Just let me help you out here.”

“No, I won’t let you help me,” Remy said. “You hurt Andy. You can’t just hurt my best friend and assume I’m going to be fine with you. You sold Patton out to your stupid friends, and now I’m in jail, his kids are kidnapped, one of my friends was shot, and I don’t even know where Andy is. This was your fault in the first place.”

“And now I’m trying to fix it!” Pryce snapped. She took a deep breath. “Just... let me help.”

“Even if I wanted to let you help me—which I don’t, by the way—I couldn’t just leave. Wrath kidnapped two of Patton’s kids, and they’re going to kill them if I don’t get Patton to them. If you can somehow find a way to fix that, then maybe I would consider going with you.”

Ace snorted. “Buddy, you haven’t heard?”

“Ace, Chandler confiscated my phone. I haven’t heard of anything about anyone for the past five hours.”

Ace grinned. “Some kind of mystery mob in masks broke into one of Wrath’s warehouses. Two kids were snatched. It’s been one of the most talked about things for the past few hours, other than your precious Pattoncake showing up at the Critic House. Some people are saying he’s the Critic’s sweetheart, and I honestly don’t doubt it. He’s staying in the penthouse, for Christ’s sake.”

“Apparently the hotel staff is keeping an eye out for some people, too,” Pryce added. “Me and you included, Sunglasses. I think Deadshot’s pulling some strings he forgot he had.”

Remy blinked as that information sank in. Someone broke into Wrath and took two kids. They could have been any kids and any gang, but knowing Patton and his connections with Chimera, it wasn’t a coincidence.

“Was there any specification on what the kids looked like?” Remy asked.

“Nope,” Ace said. “But it did happen while the leader of Chimera in Clawmore was meeting with the leader of Wrath.” He shrugged. “Coincidence?”

“Probably not,” Remy whispered. He breathed a sigh of relief, feeling as though a weight just lifted off his shoulders. The twins were probably safe.

Ace reached through the bars. “By the way, here’s your phone. I nicked it back from Chandler.”

Remy took it and looked at the screen. A text from Patton stared at him, but he ignored it. He went to his messages and texted Andy.

_can u look into any break ins that happened with wrath today? don’t tell patton but 2 of his kids were kidnapped and i need to know if they’re safe._

He started pacing again as he waited for an answer. “What are you doing?” Pryce asked.

“Checking to see if Patton’s kids are okay,” Remy answered.

A text from Andy appeared. _dude, i HELPED with a break in today!! one of chimera’s hackers asked me to help out. they even specified that the kids are patton’s and gave me confirmation that they’re safe. i can probably ask the guy to send pictures of the kids if you’re that worried about it (not guaranteed, tho)._

Remy lowered his phone as a wave of relief washed over him. “Oh my god,” he whispered. He felt like he might even cry. They were safe. Not only that, but Andy helped save them.

“You okay there, Sunglasses? You need a minute?”

Remy shoved his phone into his pocket. “Get me out of here.”

Pryce grinned. “Finally.” She held a hand out to Ace, who dropped a keyring into her hands. She unlocked the cell and opened the door. “Don’t attack me right away, Sunglasses. We still have to get you to your boyfriend.”

“He’s not my boyfriend,” Remy corrected.

“Probably because he’s fucking the Critic,” Ace snorted.

Remy elbowed Ace in the side. He narrowed his eyes at Pryce. He was still mad at her, but getting out of this place was his top priority. He didn’t have time to fight with her.

Ace nudged the door open. “Let’s get the hell out of here.”

Remy followed Ace and Pryce out of the cells. “Detective Spencer,” someone’s voice said. “Is the guy Chandler brought in doing okay?”

“Oh yeah, he’s the bee’s knees,” Ace said, purposely aiming his flashlight at the other person’s face. “Did you check the breaker room?”

“Yeah. A bunch of wires were cut. Someone’s probably still in the station. Keep an eye out. I don’t know what they’re doing here.”

“You got it, copper.”

The other person walked off. Pryce glanced at Remy. “Most of the officers are home right now,” she whispered. “Just be quiet, if you can actually shut that mouth of yours for once.”

Remy wanted to snap back at her, but he couldn’t get them caught. Ace stepped out into the station. He slung an arm around an officer’s shoulders and led them away from Remy and Pryce. He shot a wink over his shoulder at Remy. Remy scowled.

Pryce took Remy’s arm and dragged him to the door. He yanked his arm out of her grip and followed behind her. No one noticed them in the darkness. Someone glanced in their direction, but Ace sidled up to the person and started up a conversation, shooting a not-so-subtle wink in Remy’s direction.

Pryce pushed the front door open and slipped outside. Remy followed her, shutting the door.

Pryce hopped down the steps, pulling her car keys from her pocket. “Alright Sunglasses, let’s get you back to your man.”

Remy grabbed her arm and pulled her to a stop. “Wait a damn minute. We’re out of there now. You have some god damn explaining to do.”

Pryce rolled her eyes. “We can talk in the car. We shouldn’t stay here when you just broke out of jail.”

Remy hated that she had a point. He followed her down the steps to a pristine black Rolls Royce parked along the side of the road. Remy sat in the passenger seat as Pryce started the car.

“Okay, now start talking,” Remy said. “Give me an explanation as to why you hurt Andy and sold Patton out and then suddenly decided you wanted to come back and help.”

Pryce sighed as she pulled away from the curb. “Look, I honestly don’t know. I got a text from one of my buddies saying we were going after Patton because one of them was trying to narrow down his location, and I didn’t want to back out. That’s it. I didn’t want them to think I was a coward. I’ll apologize to Andy as soon as I see her.” She tugged on the gold necklace around her throat as if she was nervous.

Remy narrowed his eyes. He didn’t know if he bought that explanation, but he didn’t want to grill her for information. She was giving him a free ride to the Critic House. She could easily kick him out of her car and make him walk.

“I still don’t trust you,” he said.

“I know.” She ran her thumb over the pendant on her necklace. “I didn’t mean to hurt her,” she said, her voice quiet.

“Well, you hurt her anyway,” Remy snapped.

“I want to fix that.”

“I’ll believe that when I see it.”

The rest of the drive was quiet, uncomfortably so. Remy didn’t want to talk to her. He didn’t even want to let her near Andy or Patton. But there wasn’t much he could do to stop her short of threatening her at gunpoint, which he couldn’t even do because Chandler confiscated the gun he’d borrowed from Thomas.

The Critic House came into view. Remy had never seen it before, and he wondered why it was considered such an important place. It looked like it was falling apart at the seams, with all its cracked windows and missing bricks. He wouldn’t have thought it was actually the Critic House if not for the sign above the door that specifically said “Critic House”. It was missing a couple letters so it actually said “Cr tic Hou e”. He found it hard to believe that anyone actually stayed here, despite the amount of cars in the lot. It looked abandoned.

Pryce pulled into the parking lot. She and Remy hopped out of the car and made their way to the door. Remy kept a fair distance from her, unwilling to even be in her direct presence.

The doors swung open and Remy was struck dumb. He had not been expecting the place to look so fancy on this inside. Luxurious couches and lounge chairs were scattered around the lobby, and each one was occupied by people in suits and dresses, drinking wine from fancy glasses. A chandelier hung from the ceiling. Hardly anyone looked up as they walked in.

“Holy shit,” Remy whispered.

Pryce took his arm and dragged him in. “Yeah, it’s a lot nicer than you think. Let’s go find your dumbass friends.” She stopped at the front desk. “We heard the Critic was looking for us. Remy Dormir and Pryce Princeton?”

The receptionist looked up from his computer. He gave both of them a once-over. “Hmm. Yeah, you look like the guys the boss is looking for.” He held a key card out to Pryce. “Put this in the slot in the elevator. It’ll take you to the penthouse.”

“Thanks.” Pryce took the card. “Come on, Sunglasses.”

“I have a name, you know.”

“And I don’t care.”

They stepped into the elevator. Pryce stuck the key card into a slot above the buttons. The elevator dinged as the doors slid shut.

The silence in the elevator was even more awkward than the drive to the hotel. Remy just waited as the elevator took them upwards. It was only a few seconds, but it felt like minutes. He refused to speak to Pryce. He wouldn’t break his silence until Andy forgave her, and even then, he was determined to hold a grudge.

The elevator stopped and the doors opened. Remy stepped out and his jaw dropped.

Dice Critique grinned and held up a mug of coffee. “Hey, girl! I was wondering when you’d show up!”

Patton, who had been leaning on Dice’s shoulder, shot bolt upright. His face lit up and he scrambled to his feet. “Remy!” He tackled Remy in a hug.

Andy scurried after Patton. “Oh my god, I was ready to break into the police station to get you.”

Remy stumbled backwards from the force of the two of them crashing into him. He stared over Patton’s shoulder at his cousin, who was sitting on a lounge like he owned the place. Relief washed over Remy when he saw that Patton and Andy were okay, but that didn’t overshadow his shock at seeing his dumbass cousin, the one who he assumed was just dating some rich guy for a living, in this hotel that was supposedly a big part of the crime underground.

Thomas shrugged from where he sat on the couch. “I’d come say hi too, but I can barely move my arm. Nice to see we didn’t have to rent a wrecking ball to destroy the police station.”

Remy squeezed Patton and Andy back. “Nice to see you guys. Also, Dice, what the fuck? Why are you here?”

Dice grinned. “Oh, honey, you didn’t think I was just someone’s sugar baby for a living, did you?”

“That’s exactly what I thought.”

Dice shrugged. “Fair enough.” He set his coffee down. “I own this place,” he announced with a proud grin. “Girl, come sit down, have some coffee.” His gaze travelled over to Pryce. “Oh, Poison, baby, it looks like we’ve got company.”

Patton pulled away from Remy. His gaze hardened. “Oh.” His left index finger twitched. “Hello.”

Andy looked up, and a dozen emotions flashed across her face, ranging from pain to anger to relief. She wiped all the feeling off her face in a split second, but Remy caught the pain in her eyes. Patton shifted so he was standing a little bit between Andy and Pryce, as if he was afraid Pryce was going to attack them. Thomas stood and narrowed his eyes at Pryce, and Remy had no doubt that Thomas would have punched her if his arm wasn’t stuck in a sling.

Pryce took a step back. “Okay,” she said. “I can see that I’ve got some explaining to do.”

“Kick her ass, Poison!” Dice shouted.

Pryce took a deep breath. “I’ll admit, I was an asshole.”

“No shit,” Remy mumbled.

Pryce ignored him. “I told my friends about Patton’s location because they said we were going to go after him. And it’s a lot of bounty money, can you really blame me?”

“Yes,” Remy said.

“I wasn’t asking you, Sunglasses.”

“No, I can’t blame you,” Patton admitted, although his expression was still hard. “I would do the same. But that’s not really what I’m upset about, anyway.”

He turned to look at Andy. Andy kept her eyes on the floor, clutching the strap of her laptop bag in both hands.

Pryce’s face turned red. “Well, it’s gonna feel awkward apologizing with everyone here,” she muttered.

Andy’s face fell, and Pryce tensed. “But I will. I...” She took a deep breath. “Andy, I’m sorry. I didn’t actually mean a lot of the stuff I said. I just needed to go because I didn’t want to seem like I was backing out of the bounty hunt. I didn’t want to ruin my reputation by seeming like I was scared.” Her face flushed more. “I was tempted to stay, because I enjoyed... your company, I guess. And you’re not a bad person to hang around. I just didn’t want to seem like I was going soft, y’know?” Her gaze flitted across everyone else in the room. “Look, I broke your dumbass friend out of jail, isn’t that good enough?”

“I don’t know,” Remy said. He turned to Andy. “Is it?”

Andy finally looked over to Pryce. She narrowed her eyes. “For now. You’re lucky I don’t like holding grudges, Princey.”

“Boo, no one died,” Dice called. “But whatever, if you’re all cool now, you can all use the guest rooms in the penthouse. They’re just down the hall. Poison, honey, you can show them, can’t you?”

“Yeah.” Patton took Remy’s hand and pulled him across the room. “Come on. He’s got enough rooms for all of us.”

Remy wanted to say something, maybe ask how the hell his cousin became the owner of such a nice hotel or ask why Dice kept calling Patton “Poison”, but Patton was holding his hand and his brain seemed to have totally short-circuited. He couldn’t get a single word out of his mouth.

“Actually, some of them are being renovated,” Dice said. “Poison, would you be able to share your room with my dear cousin? Thanks!”

Patton grabbed his backpack as he passed by the couch. “Rem, you okay with that?”

Remy shifted his hand in Patton’s grip. “Yeah,” he managed.

Andy strode after Patton, clipping Pryce’s shoulder along the way. Thomas shot a glare at Pryce as he trailed after Andy. Pryce seemed to hesitate, but she shoved her hands in her pockets and walked towards the hallway.

Patton stopped outside a door. “This one’s mine.” He turned to Pryce and narrowed his eyes. “You can take any room you want, but just know that if you try anything, I’m armed and so are all those security guards. The only reason I haven’t kicked your ass yet is because Andy’s forgiven you for now.”

“I’m on the same page,” Thomas said, glaring at Pryce.

Patton opened his door. “Come on, Rem.”

Remy followed him into the room. Patton flicked on the lights. Remy blinked in surprise at the bright blue and orange wallpaper on the walls. The room was much bigger than the average bedroom. A king size bed was set against the wall to the left, with a TV in the wall opposite. Large open doors led to a walk in closet in the far wall. Next to it was a door to a bathroom.

Patton walked over to the bed. He sat down, clutching his bag to his chest. “Rem, can we talk?” His voice was small, as if he was a scared kid. He still held Remy’s hand.

Remy’s stomach flipped. He knew this conversation was coming. “You want to talk about what I saw back at the hotel?”

Patton raised a hand to scratch at his shoulder, the one with the tattoo on it. “Yeah. But that’s not all.”

Remy was hit by a wave of confusion, and that only added to the confusion he was already feeling because of the presence of his cousin and the fact that Patton was allowed in the penthouse of the owner of the hotel. “What else do you want to talk to me about?”

Patton let go of Remy’s hand to pat the bed in front of him, inviting Remy to sit with him. Remy did so, a little nervous as to where this conversation was going.

Patton took a deep breath. “I used to work for Wrath. Obviously. I mean, you saw that. I didn’t have much of a choice but to work for them. I left ten years ago, but that’s not the only issue. Do you recognize the name Poison Dart?”

Remy thought about it. “Not particularly. I’ve definitely heard it once or twice, but I’ve never asked anyone to explain it.”

“Well...” Patton said, tapping his fingers on the bag in his hands. “Poison Dart was an assassin. A lot of people in this business know about him, and if they don’t know about him, they know someone who does. It’s hard to take two steps in the underground without hearing the name a few times.”

Patton grimaced. “I’m Poison Dart. That was the name I went by when I was working. I didn’t want anyone to know who I really was, and Wrath wanted to keep it that way, too. Wrath didn’t want people to know that they had the greatest assassin in the country in their organization because my—er, the current leader was paranoid about people coming after us to get to me. I left Wrath when they gave me a mission to kill Janus Chimera. I killed the leader of Wrath instead.”

Patton flipped the bag open. The interior of the back was as brightly coloured as the wallpaper in the room, only the blue to orange gradient was decorated by black whorls, like the skin of a poison dart frog. A knife was sheathed in the side of the bag, as was a pistol.

“Andy found out I was Poison Dart and she and Pryce went out looking for proof,” Patton explained. “They never found out Poison Dart used to work for Wrath, which is good because I want to keep that a secret. You’re the only person I’ve told about this, aside from the three heads of Chimera in this area. Janus Chimera, Dorothy Willow Chimera, and Emile Picani-Chimera are the only ones who know the whole story. Well, and Dice, but that’s because he wouldn’t stop bugging me until I told him.

“I’m not even telling you the full story right now. It’s complicated, and I’m scared, and I don’t know who I can really trust.” His eyes shone with tears when he looked up at Remy. “But I trust you. And I just hope you don’t hate me after finding out I used to work for Wrath.”

Remy’s heart nearly broke. He couldn’t stand to see Patton cry. He took Patton’s hand again and squeezed it. “I don’t hate you,” he reassured him. “I was just surprised that you used to work for Wrath. You’re the sweetest person I’ve ever met. I didn’t expect it.”

Patton ran his thumb over Remy’s knuckles. “I’m sorry,” he muttered. “I wanted to tell you, and I’m not even telling you everything because I don’t know what you would think of me. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize, babe.” He scooted closer to Patton and pulled him into a hug. “Why don’t you go have a bath or something? You’ve had a long day.”

Patton nodded as he hugged Remy back. “Yeah, I might.” He gave Remy a quick squeeze and raised his head. He pressed a kiss to Remy’s cheek. “Thanks for letting me talk,” he mumbled, resting his head on Remy’s shoulder.

Remy’s face felt like it was on fire. “No problem,” he whispered. His skin burned where Patton had kissed him.

Patton untangled himself from Remy’s arms. He set his bag on the floor and stood. “Let Dice know if you need anything.” He ruffled Remy’s hair and walked off to the bathroom.

Remy sat on the bed as he processed what just happened. The whole assassin thing was kind of obvious from the get go, so that wasn’t what he was focusing on. He pressed a hand to his cheek where Patton had kissed him. Why was the room so warm all of a sudden?

Realization hit him like a ton of bricks. Oh god, _he was such an oblivious gay mess._

Someone knocked on the door. “Are you both decent?” Dice’s voice called.

“Yeah,” Remy said. “What do you want?”

The door swung open and Dice stepped in, a bowl in one hand. “Hey bitch. Everyone else already ate, so I thought I’d bring you something. You still like soup, right?”

He held out the bowl. Remy took it. “Thanks, hoe.”

“If you spill on my sheets, I’ll kill you.” Dice sat down on the bed and crossed his legs. “So, why is your face all red?”

Remy’s face heated up more. “Not your business.”

Dice grinned. “Aww, did you finally realize that you like him?”

“Shut up,” Remy spat. He didn’t want Patton to hear.

Dice poked Remy’s arm. “Do you _like_ him?”

“Dude, seriously. Stop it. I don’t want him to know.”

Dice chuckled. “Bitch, you need to talk to him about that. The amount of gay tension between you two is ridiculous.”

“I might later,” Remy said, knowing full well he probably never would.

Dice studied Remy’s face. “So, he told you about the Poison Dart thing?”

Remy nodded, idly stirring the soup in his bowl. “I kind of figured he was an assassin, but was he actually that well known?”

Dice barked out a laugh. “Oh, honey, you have no idea. There are legends about him. Many of my previous tenants stopped staying here because Patton frequented this place whenever he needed a break, and no one wanted to be in his line of sight. He was a wonderful fighter back then. The amount of times he started a brawl in the lounge was too many to count.”

“Wait, I thought violence wasn’t allowed here.”

“Typically, no, but I love a good bit of drama. I would never kick out my favourite tenant. I can bend my own rules if I want to. If people wanted to see him beat the shit out of someone without risking getting murdered themselves, they would often come here just to see him in action up close. He scared away some people, yes, but he also brought in business. There was no way I would ever throw him out.” Dice smirked. “He was also gorgeous arm candy at V.I.P. meetings.”

Remy thought about what Dice just said. “Why did Patton start fights?”

Dice shrugged. “I don’t know. Asserting his dominance, maybe. He was very impulsive back then.” Dice examined his fingernails. “You really do love him, don’t you?”

Remy nearly spat out the soup in his mouth. “What?”

“Relax, gay boy, I don’t necessarily mean romantically. You two are very close. That’s obvious.” His voice had taken on a more serious tone, something Remy had never heard from Dice before. “But the Patton Hart you know is very different than the Poison Dart I knew ten years ago. Neither of us know exactly who he is. His past aggression could have been an act, or maybe the kindness you’ve seen from him is an act. I’ve seen Poison Dart cry once. That’s all. Other than that, the only emotion I’ve ever gotten from him is annoyance and frustration at best.”

Remy raised a brow, confused. “What do you mean by all that?”

Dice turned on the bed so he was facing Remy. “I mean, I only know him as Poison Dart. The man _is_ a poison dart frog. He kills everything he touches. He is toxic in every sense of the word. To me, he’s Poison Dart. To you, he’s Patton Hart. To Wrath’s Blade, he’s someone else entirely.”

Dice took off his sunglasses to look Remy dead in the eye. “I’m warning you: when you’re around him, you have no idea who you’re going to get. You’ve caught glimpses of Poison Dart, sure, but you’ve never truly seen that part of himself, just as I’ve never truly seen Patton Hart. Even knowing everything about his past, I have no idea who this man is. I doubt the Chimeras know, either. I’m not even sure Patton _himself_ knows who he is. I just want you to be careful, Remy. The man is a ticking time bomb, and he’s going to explode one of these days. I don’t want you to be caught in the blast.”

Dice put his sunglasses back on and stood. “Be careful. Let me know if anything happens.”

Remy glanced behind him at the bathroom door. He heard the sound of running water, and through that, Patton’s voice hummed along to whatever song was stuck in his head.

“I will,” Remy said.

Dice smiled. “Goodnight, bitch.”

“Night, hoe.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i hope i'm not rushing Pryce's redemption, but i just really want her and Andy to make up. they're so CUTE


	44. I Just Want To Sleep

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Andy finds it hard to sleep, consumed by worrying thoughts of Pryce. Despite the fun movie night the Chimeras had with the kids, D.W. still can't sleep as some bad memories come back to haunt her. Seeking some sort of solace, she decides to step out onto the balcony to clear her thoughts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i don't think any warnings are needed for this chapter, but please let me know if i missed anything that might need one!

No matter how hard she tried, Andy just couldn’t sleep.

That’s not to say that she wasn’t tired, though. She was absolutely exhausted from the events of the day. Her little adventure through the city with Pryce felt like days ago.

Andy turned over in the bed in her guest room. It had been a while since she’d stayed in the Critic House. She forgot how comfortable the beds were. However, the soft mattress did nothing to lull her to sleep. She just couldn’t stop thinking.

Part of it was Patton. She was kind of scared of the guy now that she knew his past. And when she and Thomas met up with him in his hotel room, he had been nothing like the peppy father figure he’d been when she met him the day prior. He was snappy and cold, and he seemed more annoyed than relieved to see them. She had chalked it up to him being tired, but still, having a dangerous assassin be annoyed at her was nerve wracking, to say the least.

Unfortunately, the part of her that wasn’t think about Patton was busy thinking about Pryce.

She couldn’t help it. Yeah, Pryce had apologized, but did she mean it? Why did she really help Remy get out of jail? She had to have some ulterior motive. Coming back to Andy served her no purpose.

Andy groaned and rolled over in bed again. As angry as she was with Pryce, her heart skipped a beat every stupid time she thought about her. Pryce may have been kind of cute and maybe Andy developed a small crush on her, but Andy had to ignore that. Pryce was a jerk. Andy had dealt with her fair share of jerks in her life. She didn’t need another one.

She heard footsteps outside in the hall. She tried to ignore it, but they stopped right outside her door. She sat up and looked at the door.

Something slid under the door. The footsteps resumed and walked away.

Andy stood and tiptoed over to the door. A small piece of paper had been slid under her door. She picked it up and peered at it in the moonlight from the window.

 _Hey, I don’t know if you’re still awake, but if you are, can we talk? I have a lot I want to say, but I didn’t want to say it in front of everyone else._  
Sorry again,  
Pryce

Andy read the words a couple times to let that sink in. Pryce wanted to talk? Why? What did she have to say that she hadn’t already said before?

Andy huffed and tossed the note to the floor. She was too tired for this. She could deal with it in the morning. She crawled back into bed and closed her eyes.

She didn’t get to sleep for a long time.

*******

Having all the Hart kids watching a movie together proved to be more chaotic than D.W. originally thought it would be.

Logan heaved an exhausted sigh as he tried to wrangle Roman into his arms. “Roman, stop throwing popcorn at your cousin,” he whispered.

Roman squirmed. “Come on, Specs,” Roman whispered back. “We’re just having fun.”

Diana opened her mouth as Roman tossed her another piece of popcorn. It landed right in her mouth and she put her arms up in a victory pose. “Twentieth one in a row,” she said through the popcorn. “Let’s go for a world record.”

Janus leaned over on the couch to see the screen past Diana’s hands. Virgil nudged Janus in the side. “You’re in my space, old man.”

Logan groaned. “I just wanted to watch a movie,” he muttered as Roman reached for more popcorn.

Deciding that Logan had suffered enough with these kids, D.W. scooted across the floor and looked up at Roman. “Hey Roman, do you think Diana can still catch it if we both throw popcorn at her?”

Roman’s eyes lit up. He clambered out of Logan’s grip and sat on the floor with D.W. Janus passed the popcorn bowl to D.W. so they could throw popcorn together.

As D.W. helped Roman throw popcorn at Diana, Remus scribbled in his sketchbook, which he’d brought downstairs about halfway through the movie. He had to ask Virgil to help him up the stairs, and as soon as they were back in the living room, Remus flopped down on the floor and started drawing. D.W. kind of wanted to know what he was drawing, but she didn’t want to pry, so she left the subject alone.

Logan gave D.W. a look that screamed “THANK YOU”. He curled up on the couch next to Janus, who wrapped an arm around Logan’s shoulders and squeezed him in a brief hug. On his other side, Virgil kept shifting his position in his seat. Every time D.W. looked over, the kid was doing something different. Right now he was mostly lying on the armrest, both legs draped over the back of the couch so he was looking at the screen upside-down.

Roman giggled as he tossed another piece of popcorn to Diana. D.W. picked up a piece and threw it. It hit Diana’s forehead, but she still managed to get it in her mouth.

The kids gradually calmed down as the movie went on. Maybe it was the fact that it was late, or maybe it was the fact that they were running out of popcorn, but either way, Roman eventually set down the bowl and turned his attention to the movie on screen. Diana followed suit now that no one was throwing any edible projectiles at her. Remus kept sketching, and Virgil finally settled into a position on the couch. D.W. let herself relax as the movie went on. The past few days had been hectic. She deserved a little bit of rest.

Roman leaned into D.W.’s side partway through the movie. D.W. let him. He’d had a difficult day.

It took D.W. until the end of the movie to notice that sound of pencil scratching on paper had disappeared. Remus had fallen asleep on his sketchbook. Diana had slumped against the chair behind her, snoring with her glasses crooked on her face. D.W. glanced down at Roman and saw that the kid’s eyes were closed.

“Janus,” she whispered. “You awake?”

“Yes,” he hissed back. “Look at this, Dorothy.”

She turned a little and couldn’t help the smile that spread across her face. Janus sat in the middle of the couch. On one side, Logan was curled right up to Janus, resting his head on Janus’ chest. Clinging to Janus’ other side was Virgil, wrapped up in a blanket with his bat necklace in his mouth. He had his arms and legs wrapped around Janus and didn’t seem intent on letting go anytime soon. Both Logan and Virgil were sleeping.

D.W. gently shifted Roman into her arms and stood. “I’ll come back for Virgil,” she said.

She carefully stepped over Remus and Diana, carrying Roman to the dining room. Getting someone else up the stairs would be trial, but she could do it, she was sure.

She started up the stairs, wincing a little at the extra weight on her prosthetic. Roman buried his face in her shirt as she climbed the stairs. Her heart melted at that. Goodness, these kids were absolutely precious.

She reached the top of the stairs and made her way to the twins’ room. She nudged the door open and peered inside. A red backpack was tossed to the floor near the doorway. Spilling out of it was a variety of different red shirts and a few notebooks. A green backpack sat against the far wall next to the bed. It was zipped up, as if the owner was keeping it ready to grab it and run.

D.W. carried Roman over to the bed. She tugged the covers back and set Roman down. He mumbled in his sleep. She draped the covers over him, and after a moment of debate, she leaned down and planted a kiss on his forehead.

“Goodnight, kiddo,” she whispered.

She hurried out of the room and back downstairs. She still had to get Virgil so Janus wouldn’t be trapped on the couch forever.

She rushed over to the couch. “Do you think he’ll let go?” she asked Janus.

Janus shrugged. D.W. decided to take a chance and gently lifted Virgil under his arms. Lifting him was no problem, but as soon as he was separated from Janus, he furrowed his brows and squirmed, muttering something in his sleep. D.W. hefted him into her arms. He wrapped his arms and legs around her and settled, resting his head on her shoulder.

D.W. couldn’t suppress the smile on her face. “Jan, I really want to keep these kids,” she whispered.

Janus huffed. “Well, I’m certainly not warming up to them at all.”

“Okay, Mr. I-Organized-A-Break-In-To-Save-Kids-I-Hardly-Know.”

“That’s a very convoluted nickname.”

“That’s the point.” D.W. shifted Virgil in her arms. “You can get Sleeping Beauty upstairs. We might have to wake up Diana because my leg is just about shot for the day. I can’t carry another kid.”

“Fair enough.”

As Janus worked on hoisting Logan into his arms, D.W. made her way back up the stairs with Virgil. He stirred as she opened the door to his room, but he didn’t wake.

D.W. stepped over Virgil’s backpack to get to his bed. As she gently laid him down on his mattress, he mumbled something and waved at the ceiling.

“What’s that, kiddo?” she whispered.

“Lights,” he repeated sleepily.

“You want them on?”

Virgil nodded, his eyes still closed. D.W. flicked the lights on. A dim yellow glow filled the room. Janus must have replaced Virgil’s lightbulb at some point during the day.

D.W. pulled the covers over Virgil. She thought it would be unfair to only give Roman a goodnight kiss, so she brushed Virgil’s bangs aside and planted one on his forehead.

“Goodnight, kiddo,” she said.

Virgil snuggled under the covers and grabbed at the stuffed cat toy on his bed, the same one he’d given D.W. earlier in the car to help calm her down. “G’night, Dad,” he slurred.

D.W. shut the door behind her as she left the room, a smile on her face. She tiptoed across the upstairs living room. “Jan,” she hissed.

Janus paused in the hallway, holding Logan in his arms. “What?”

“He called me ‘Dad’.”

Logan muttered something and squirmed in Janus’ arms. “Maybe Virgil thought you were Patton,” Janus whispered.

“I don’t care, I’m taking it.” She pointed to Logan. “You need help with that?”

“No, he’s just clingy. I’ll go back down for Remus and Diana. You go to sleep, Dorothy. You’ve had quite the day.”

D.W. wasn’t about to argue with that. She reached out and ruffled Logan’s hair as she passed by Janus on the way to her room. “Goodnight, lovebirds.”

“Goodnight, Dorothy,” Janus said, while Logan murmured something that might have been “goodnight”.

D.W. stepped into her room and shut the door. Goodness, those kids were adorable. She had never really wanted kids, but she had to admit that she would miss these kids when they inevitably went back to their father.

Well, if their father survived. That thought made her grimace. She never liked Patton Hart all that much, but if he died, the kids would be devastated.

She sat down on her bed and leaned down to remove her prosthetic leg. Now that her mind was on the subject of Patton, she couldn’t get her thoughts away from it. She hardly interacted with Patton after the Poison Dart Massacre in 2010, so she didn’t quite know what kind of person he was anymore. Obviously, he was a decent father, since his kids missed him so much, but that was the only information she had. Now that he was on the run from Wrath, would he turn back to his old ways?

She shuddered at the thought. She didn’t like the idea of Poison Dart being on the loose.

But Janus seemed to trust Patton, more or less, so maybe he wasn’t that bad anymore.

D.W. didn’t know what to think, so she decided it would be a problem for future D.W. to think about. She was too tired to deal with that now.

However, as soon as she collapsed in bed, her brain decided that no, Poison Dart was not an issue for future D.W., it was an issue for current D.W., and she was going to lose sleep over it whether she wanted to or not.

D.W. listened as Janus bustled about, carrying Remus to bed and guiding Diana to her own room. She heard Janus’ footsteps walk back to his room. Once his door shut, D.W. was left in complete silence.

God, she hated silence.

Now that the house was quiet and no one was around to distract her, her thoughts turned to what had happened at the university earlier. Patton’s face lurked in the darkness every time she closed her eyes, and she could have sworn she heard him shouting at someone else to push her out a window. She grimaced and turned over in bed. Was Janus still awake? Was he okay? Was he even still alive?

After half an hour of tossing and turning and worrying about Patton Hart, D.W. concluded that there was absolutely no way she was going to sleep tonight. Her blankets were tangled up in her limbs, and she’d managed to push half her pillows off the mattress and onto the floor. Every time she began to fall asleep, she felt like she was actually falling. Her right hip started to hurt after a while.

D.W. groaned and sat up. It couldn’t hurt to just check on Janus.

Unwilling to reattach her leg just to check on Janus, she grabbed her forearm crutches from beside her bed and strapped them to her arms. She hauled herself upright so she was standing on her one leg. She just had to make sure he was okay. That was it.

She left her room as quietly as she could and approached Janus’ door. She pushed the door open and peeked inside. Two forms were covered by the blankets on the bed. Their chests rose and fell slowly but steadily. Janus rolled over in his sleep and Logan muttered something under his breath.

Relief washed over her like a wave. She retreated from the room and shut the door. It had been years since she last got anxious enough to check on Janus in his sleep to make sure he was alive. She didn’t want that habit to return.

D.W. didn’t want to be stuck in her room, unable to sleep. Maybe stepping out onto the balcony for some fresh air would help.

As soon as she stepped into the living room, her heart stuttered. The balcony doors were open, and someone was standing on the balcony.

She tensed, ready to run back to her room, but she took a deep breath and surveyed the situation first. The doors were open, but the person was still outside, so they had likely gone from inside the house to the balcony. They leaned on the railing facing the front yard, a blanket wrapped around their shoulders. Once glance around the living room told D.W. that one of the guest rooms doors was open as well, the door to Diana’s room.

D.W. let herself relax a little and walked across the living room. “Miss Short?” she said quietly, stopping to stand in the doorway.

Diana jumped and whirled around. She straightened her glasses. “Oh, you scared me. Sorry. I hope it’s okay that I’m out here. I couldn’t sleep so I thought I could use some fresh air.”

“Me and you both, kid.” D.W. stepped onto the balcony and walked up next to Diana. “What’s keeping you up?” she asked, leaning on her crutches.

Diana shrugged. “It’s nothing, really. I just find it hard to sleep in unfamiliar places.” She furrowed her brow. “But... I’m also thinking about my family. Uncle Patton, specifically.”

D.W. grimaced. That was exactly what she had come here to get her mind off of.

“Are you doing okay?” D.W. asked. She didn’t want to think about Patton, but she also didn’t want to leave Diana alone if she needed something.

“Yeah,” Diana sighed. “More or less. God, my mom would kill me if she knew I was here.”

D.W. tilted her head. “What do you mean?”

“My mom’s never liked the criminal stuff she said Patton was involved in,” Diana said. “She always told me to stay away from him.”

“Wait a minute,” D.W. said. “You knew about the criminal underground before you started taking loans from us?”

Diana nodded. “My mom left the business a long time ago, before Patton did, I think. I don’t know what she or Patton used to do. She never told me about it. The most she ever told me was ‘stay away from Wrath’s Blade’.” She snorted. “So I went to Chimera for help instead. I didn’t do anything she didn’t tell me not to.”

D.W. let that sink in. It never really occurred to her that Patton Hart’s sister would be Diana’s mother. It should have been obvious. After all, Patton’s brother certainly never would have had kids.

“Do you want to go back to your parents?” D.W. asked.

Diana’s eyes widened slight and she shuddered under her blanket. “No, no, I’m already safe here,” she said, a twinge of fear in her voice. “There’s no point going back. Besides, Mom never let me learn about the criminal underworld. I want to know more.”

“You really don’t, kid,” D.W. said. “This business is dangerous. I don’t think you want to be here.”

“This business is also my only way out of my family,” Diana said.

“Kid, your whole family is part of this business,” D.W. pointed out. “Once you get into it, they’re going to drag you down. The underground is the reason your girlfriend is in a coma right now. You don’t want anyone to know you’re even thinking about being part of it. I think your best option would be to change your name and lay low, but Patton did that and even he’s been pulled back into it. You need to get out of this while you still can.”

Diana’s shoulders slumped. “But there’s nothing else I can do. If I want to get out of my mom’s controlling bubble, I have to go somewhere she won’t follow me.”

“She’s probably strict on you because she wants you to stay the hell out of this business, and I can’t blame her. Trust me, your other uncle would lose his mind if he found out you were involving yourself in all this.”

Diana stared out at the yard. “My other uncle?” she muttered. She whirled on D.W. “How do you even know that I might have other family members in the crime world? How well do you know my family? I just met you today.”

D.W. grit her teeth. This is exactly why she didn’t want to have this conversation. “I know Patton, so I know your family. Trust me, Patton has a sibling other than just your mom, and you don’t want to meet him. And don’t get me started on your dead grandfather.”

Diana blinked. “Why wouldn’t I want to meet my other uncle?”

D.W. took a deep breath. She did not want to talk about this. “I’m sorry, kid, I can’t think about your family. Especially not right now. It’s really been a long day. I don’t need this to keep me awake any longer.”

Diana’s frustrated expression softened. “Oh. Sorry.” She turned back to the yard. “Would I be able to ask Mr. Chimera about it tomorrow?”

“Probably, if he has time. I don’t know how much he’ll tell you. It’s kind of a big Chimera secret.” She shrugged. “But who knows? Maybe he’ll tell you.”

“I hope so.” Diana clutched her blanket tighter around her shoulders. She reached up and tugged at a necklace that rested on her chest. It was a locket shaped like a heart, engraved with the initials D.J. “Do you think Jemma’s going to be okay?” she whispered.

D.W. hadn’t expected the topic to turn to that, but she should have. Of course Diana was worried about her girlfriend. Who wouldn’t be if they were in her situation? That was probably part of why she couldn’t sleep.

“Honestly, kid, I don’t know,” D.W. admitted. “I get how it feels. I’ve had some really close friends end up almost dead numerous times, including Janus.” She gently nudged Diana’s side with her elbow. “It’s tough, but we’ve got good doctors and we’ll get her to a hospital if we have to. You’ve got nothing to worry about. Just wait it out.”

Diana swallowed. “Okay. I’ll try to be patient. I apologize in advance if I lose my patience, though. I’m still processing all of this.”

“No worries, kiddo. I get it. It’s a tough situation.”

“Yeah,” Diana sighed. “I just want her to be okay. She’s the only person I can rely on.” She clenched her fists in the fabric of her blanket. “And I got her into this by borrowing money from a crime organization. It’s my fault she’s hurt.”

“Virgil thought this was his fault too, but it’s no more your fault than it is his. You’re not the one who hurt her. You couldn’t have known this would happen.”

Diana shifted on her feet. “I guess,” she muttered. “I just worry.”

“That’s perfectly understandable,” D.W. said. She nodded towards the balcony doors. “I think we should be getting to bed. It’s late.”

“Probably.” Diana opened her mouth as if she was going to say something else, then clamped it shut again.

“What’s the problem, kiddo?” D.W. asked.

Diana bit her lip. “I... Miss Chimera, if it’s not too much to ask... would it be possible for you to help me book an appointment with a therapist?”

D.W. relaxed. She had half thought that Diana was going to ask more about Patton.

“I can do that, kid.” She nudged the doors open. “Tomorrow. Come on. Bedtime.”

Diana hefted the blanket around her shoulders and hurried through the doors into the house. D.W. shut the doors and locked them, hoping that no Chimera agents would climb up to the balcony and knock on them in the middle of the night.

“Goodnight, Miss Chimera,” Diana whisper-called as she crossed the living room to her room.

“Goodnight, Miss Short,” D.W. said back.

She walked across the living room and into the hallway. Before she could open her door, she found herself hesitating. She glanced back at Janus’ door. She tried to tell herself she didn’t need to check on him again. He was fine when she last checked.

She stepped across the hallway and slowly pushed his door open. Janus and Logan were curled up under the covers exactly the way they were before. The blankets rose and fell with their breaths.

She gave a sigh of relief and shut the door.


	45. I Still Miss My Dad

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Both Virgil and Andy wake up feeling like shit. Virgil overhears something he's pretty sure he wasn't supposed to hear, but at least Janus told him he'd be able to see a therapist today. Pryce visits Andy in her room to offer another apology.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> updating a day ahead of schedule because i'll be too busy to update tomorrow
> 
> warnings: there is food in this chapter!! it's mostly mentioned in passing but it's still present. also, i am doing my best to write an accurate representation of Remus' OCD but i'm well aware that it's probably still not perfect, as i don't have OCD myself. for now i've mostly written about a few impulses like locking doors and Remus' fixation on the number 6, but please let me know if i'm being inaccurate about something! i've used this series to practice writing some mental illnesses/disorders and i'm still learning. it only comes up for one scene in this chapter, but still, please take everything shown with a grain of salt as i still lowkey don't know what i'm doing and i'm still researching things

Virgil bolted awake when someone knocked on his door. He flung his blankets off, clutching Ms. Snuffles like a lifeline.

“Virgil,” Janus’ voice called through the door. “You have to get up. I have work.”

Virgil waited as his heart slowed to a normal pace. “Right.” He set his stuffed cat back on the bed. “Gimme a minute, Chimera.”

Janus’ footstep walked away. Virgil glanced at the clock. It was seven-thirty, way too early to be awake. He hated that he had to get up so damn early just to go to a bank every day.

However, he dragged himself out of bed and off to the bathroom. One good thing about this huge house was that he had a bathroom all to himself. He took his time showering and getting dressed. When he put on his sweater and made his way to the door, he paused when he caught a glimpse of himself in the bathroom mirror.

Jeez, he did not look good.

He peered into the mirror. He was paler than usual, which wasn’t a surprise. He hadn’t gotten a lot of rest the past couple nights, constantly waking up and tossing his sheets everywhere in his sleep. The bags under his eyes were darker than ever.

He glanced at his backpack on the floor of his room. He hadn’t even unpacked the little bit of makeup he brought.

He trudged over to his backpack and lugged it into the bathroom. He hadn’t brought much of his makeup, but maybe unpacking it would be the first step to getting settled in this house. He was probably going to be staying here for a while, anyway.

Another glance in the mirror pulled an exhausted sigh from his lips. He blotted foundation over his face, using his fingers since he didn’t have a sponge or a foundation brush with him. He didn’t have concealer either, so he put more foundation than usual under his eyes.

He brushed a little bit of blush over his cheeks to bring some colour to his face, swiped some purple eyeshadow over his eyelids, and slathered on some mascara. After a layer of purple lipstick, he stepped back to look at himself.

Well, he didn’t look like he was about to drop dead at any moment, so that was good. At least he looked alive.

He carefully placed his makeup along the counter in the order that he used it. Since his toothbrush was sitting on the counter next to the sink, he placed his three brushes in the toothbrush holder. The place didn’t quite look or feel like home yet, but at least now the space looked more like it was his.

Virgil shoved his hands in his pockets and made to leave his room, but he paused when his fingers brushed against something in his pocket. His heart pinched. He still hadn’t read Dad’s letter.

He took it out of his pocket. Dad’s curvy handwriting looped across the envelope, spelling out Virgil’s name with hearts dotting the i’s. The paper was crinkled from being in Virgil’s pocket all night.

Virgil turned the envelope over in his hands. Would Dad have expected Virgil to read the letter as soon as he saw it? Maybe the words he wrote were meant for past Virgil, who was scared and trying to make his way across the city to find someone he didn’t even know. It might be too late to read it.

Still, he tucked the envelope back in his pocket. He would read it later. Maybe while Janus and D.W. were busy at work.

He dragged himself downstairs, mind still fixed on the letter Dad had written him. He nudged open the door to the dining room and was met with a surprised stare from Diana, who was sitting at the table with a plate of toast in front of her.

“Nice makeup,” she said.

“Thanks.”

Virgil crossed the room to the door that led to the kitchen. As soon as he stepped into the hallway, he heard Janus and D.W.’s voices in the living room. He didn’t want to intrude, but they both sounded agitated. He tiptoed closer to the living room and pressed himself against the wall. He couldn’t see either of them, but now he could hear them.

“I’m just saying, cutting ties with Wrath would be best for us,” D.W.’s voice said. “These kids are going to be in danger as long as our doors are open to Wrath agents.”

“It’s not that dangerous,” Janus said. “Look, the kids are safe. Justice can’t get them as long as they’re here.”

“But he’s going to go after these kids again,” D.W. argued. “And you know it’s not just to get to Patton. If he knows Diana is related by blood, he’s going to want to get to her.”

“D.W., I don’t want to upset Ares.”

“Yeah, I know, he’s a powerful guy, he could probably tear our branch of Chimera to the ground if he wanted. But Janus, this is important. I talked to Diana last night. She wants to be involved in this business.”

There was a pause. “She what?”

“Yeah, I know. I told her she’s got family who would drag her down, but she just wants to get out of her mom’s controlling bubble. She thinks this is the only way out.”

Janus hummed. “Right, I forgot about her mother. Demeter was always a high strung woman. It’s no surprise that she’s strict on her daughter.” He cursed under his breath. “We can’t let Ares see her. We either have to keep her out of the public eye where no Wrath agents can see her or send her back to her parents.”

“Or, we could just cut Wrath off completely.”

“Dorothy, you know why we can’t do that. It could cause a war to break out in this city, and I don’t want my employees dying in the streets at night.”

Virgil poked his head into the living room, unable to resist his curiosity. “What are you talking about?”

Janus jumped in surprise. “Goodness gracious, Virgil, warn a man next time.”

D.W. gave Virgil a smile. “Hey, kiddo. Did you sleep well?”

“What are you guys talking about?” Virgil repeated.

Janus and D.W. shared a couple glances. “It’s complicated,” Janus said finally. “It doesn’t involve you, so please try not to worry about it.”

“But you said someone wants to get to Diana,” Virgil pressed. “Why? Who is it?”

“Kid, please let it go,” D.W. sighed. “We’re trying our best to sort things out. You have nothing to worry about. I promise. We’ll keep Diana safe.”

Virgil was hesitant to let it go. It sounded like they were in danger.

However, adults usually didn’t tell kids things even if they needed to know. Virgil had learned a long time ago to just drop the subject and pray for the best.

“Okay,” he relented. He turned back to the hallway.

“By the way,” Janus interrupted before he could go too far, “both you and Diana have asked us if we can get you into therapy. I called a close friend of ours this morning. Would both of you be okay with speaking to someone today?”

Virgil furrowed his brow, a little confused. “Yeah, I guess. Why?”

“There’s a man named Emile Picani-Chimera visiting today who’s a licensed therapist. He’s willing to speak with both of you at some point today. He said he’d rather it be this morning so we’ll have the rest of the day to sort through our own business, but our schedule is flexible so he’s ready at any time. Does that sound alright to you?”

Virgil hesitated. He’d never been to therapy, so he didn’t know what to expect or what to talk about. Would he need time to prepare?

However, he didn’t know if he would get another chance to sort through his issues with someone who could actually help him. “Yeah. Yeah, I think that’s okay.” He paused as a question popped up in his head. “Is he related to you? You said his name is Picani-Chimera.”

“Yes, he is,” Janus confirmed. “Sort of. He married D.W.’s cousin who _tragically_ died in a freak accident fifteen years ago.”

“Absolutely tragic that he didn’t see that bullet coming,” D.W. muttered. “What a tragedy. How horrible, that he’s dead now and no one knows who could have possibly killed him.”

“Emile took over the branch of Chimera in Sidehill after his husband’s death,” Janus continued. “Chimera is a family business. The leadership roles are all filled by people in our... clan, I suppose you could call it. Many gangs are family businesses, Wrath’s Blade included.”

“Anyway, I’m sorry we can’t tell you more, kiddo,” D.W. said. “You should probably go let Diana know about our plans for the day.”

Virgil was still reluctant to leave without getting answers about what they had just been discussing, but he retreated from the living room and went back to the kitchen.

As Virgil got his breakfast together, he couldn’t help but wonder what D.W. and Janus had been talking about. Who was Ares? Why were they talking about Aunt Demeter, Diana’s mother?

Virgil was halfway through his first Pop Tart when the kitchen door swung open. Diana walked in with her empty plate. “Hey Virge,” she said. She rinsed her plate off in the sink.

Virge nodded in response, unable to speak because his mouth was full of breakfast pastry. He twirled his necklace in his fingers as he ate.

Diana set her plate down. “By the way, I talked to D.W. last night. She said she would help me get a therapist. Did you ask any of them if you could get an appointment, too?”

Virgil swallowed his food. “I talked to Janus last night. He said he got someone to come in today to talk to us.”

“Oh, cool.” Diana smiled and ruffled Virgil hair as she passed the island on her way to the door. “I’m proud of you, kiddo.”

Virgil’s stomach dropped. She looked and sounded so much like Dad, those words alone almost made him want to cry.

He held the tears back and kept eating his breakfast. He didn’t want to ruin his makeup by crying.

As soon as Virgil finished his breakfast, he rinsed off his plate and went right back upstairs to get his backpack. If he really was going to talk to a therapist today, he was going to need as much comfort as possible beforehand so he didn’t freak out, which meant he was going to be taking just about all of his belongings with him. He put Ms. Snuffles in his bag, along with his Draculaura doll and a few other things. He grabbed his headphones and put them on for good measure.

Virgil took a deep breath. He could do this. He would be fine.

He left his room and started for the hallway, but he paused. The door to Roman and Remus’ room was still shut, and he hadn’t seen either of them all morning.

Virgil crossed the living room and gently rapped on the door. “You guys up yet?”

The only answer he got was the sound of frantic scratching of pencil on paper. He opened the door a crack and poked his head in.

The bathroom door across the bedroom was shut, and Virgil heard the faint sound of the shower going. The covers on the bed were tangled up in each other, as if Roman and Remus had both been tossing and turning in their sleep. Remus sat on the bed, sketchbook in his lap. He clenched his jaw as he furiously scribbled on a page.

“Remus?” Virgil said.

Remus fumbled with his pencil. It flew out of his hand and clattered on the floor. He opened and closed his empty hand as if he didn’t know what to do with it. He lowered his head and gave a frustrated sharp huff.

“I’m fine,” he said. “I’m fine, I’m fine, I’m fine, I’m fine, I’m fine.”

Virgil watched, concerned, as Remus grabbed his pencil off the ground. “Remus, do you need anything?”

“No, I’m fine, I didn’t sleep,” Remus said. His voice was slow and careful as if he was counting his words instead of paying more attention to what he was saying. “I’m just tired. So is Roman. I’m trying to draw. Please leave.” He scowled at his sketchbook.

Virgil counted the words as Remus said them. Eighteen words. Multiples of six.

“Do you want me to get Logan?” Virgil asked.

Remus tensed, clearly put off by the fact that there was one more word in that sentence than he would have liked. Virgil tried not to feel bad about that.

“I’m okay, I don’t need him,” Remus said. He tapped his pencil on his sketchbook six times. “You can go back downstairs. I’ll be fine. Roman will be out here in a bit. We’ll be down there when we’re ready to go. Just tell Janus we’re fine.”

“Are you sure you don’t need anything?” Virgil asked, hesitant to leave Remus alone when he was struggling.

“Yes, I’m sure,” Remus said sharply. “You can go.” He scribbled something on the page, then crossed it out six times. His face went through a number of emotions that Virgil couldn’t decipher.

Virgil heaved a defeated sigh. He wanted so badly to help his brother, but there wasn’t much he could do when Remus got this upset.

“I’ll be downstairs,” Virgil said. Deciding to end on a number of words that might help Remus feel better, Virgil added a quick “I love you.”

Remus visibly relaxed. “Love you too,” he said quietly. He couldn’t seem to figure out anything else to say, so he left it at that. Multiples of three were acceptable when six was too much.

Virgil left the room, making a mental note to recommend to Janus that Remus see a therapist as well.

*******

Andy did not want to wake up, but apparently, life had other plans.

She groaned and rolled over in bed. She did not sleep well at all. She shot an accusatory glare at the note Pryce had left for her last night, which she’d tossed on her nightstand. Her stupid thoughts about Pryce had kept her awake all night. Sure, some of her thoughts were about how stupidly cute she was, but most of them were worries about what Pryce wanted to say. She’d had half a mind to go out there in the middle of the night to talk to Pryce and get it over with, but she didn’t want to accidentally wake anyone up, so she decided to do it in the morning.

That had proved to be a bad decision. She hadn’t been able to sleep for most of the night. Now she was awake, and it was morning, and she was pretty sure she wouldn’t have much of a choice but to get up and get breakfast, because Dice Critique had a schedule and God help anyone who strayed from it.

Someone knocked on the door. “Come in,” she mumbled.

A security guard stepped into the room, a tray in their hands. “Mr. Critique has requested that all of his guests receive breakfast in bed, Miss...” Their voice trailed off. “Ah, forgive me, but no one informed me of your surname.”

“I don’t give that out to strangers,” Andy said. “You can stick with Andy or call me Miss Dormir if you insist on being formal with it.”

The guard nodded. “Miss Dormir it is. We’ve prepared breakfast for you, should you want it.”

“Sure, why not.”

The guard walked into the room and handed her the tray. They turned on their heel and left. Andy called out a quick “thank you” as they shut the door.

No sooner had they left the room that someone else knocked on Andy’s door. She heaved a sigh and set the breakfast tray aside. She strode to the door.

“What?” she snapped as she flung it open.

Pryce took a step back. “Oh. Sorry, I...” She cleared her throat. It took Andy a minute to realize that Pryce held a ball of black fabric in her hands.

“What’s that?” Andy asked.

Pryce held it out. Was it just the light, or was Pryce blushing? “I never gave you your Fall Out Boy shirt back.”

Andy’s annoyance faded and her heart sank. “Oh. Thank you.” She took the shirt. “Is that the only reason you wanted to see me last night? You just wanted to give me my shirt back?”

Pryce’s face flushed almost as red as her hair. “You got my note?”

“Yeah. I didn’t come find you because I was tired, but we can talk now.” She stepped back form the door and nodded to the room. “Come on in.”

Pryce hesitated, but she stepped inside. Andy shut the door behind her and walked back to the bed, where her breakfast was waiting. “What do you want to talk about?” she asked, picking up a slice of bacon off her tray.

Pryce kept a fair distance from Andy and the bed. She didn’t meet Andy’s eyes. “I’m not great at apologies,” she muttered, fiddling with the hem of her red shirt, “so bear with me. Please.”

She cleared her throat. “Andy,” she said, and oddly enough, Andy’s heart skipped a beat when she heard her name. That was probably the first time Pryce had called Andy by her actual name instead of Hot Topic, but even if it wasn’t Pryce’s first time saying it, it was the only time she’d ever said it so softly, as if she was begging for Andy to listen and pay attention to her with that one word alone.

“I’m sorry about everything I said yesterday,” Pryce said. Andy was almost taken aback by the reminder that everything that had happened yesterday had only just happened yesterday. It felt like ages ago. “I didn’t really mean a lot of the things I said,” Pryce continued, “and I was saying most of them to... I guess I wanted to convince myself that everything I said was the truth. I wanted to try to give myself a reason to leave you. I felt like I had to leave because I didn’t want the people I work with to think I’m going soft. I don’t want to be seen as weak or scared, so... I lashed out at you. And I know that doesn’t justify anything I said or excuse it, but I’m just trying to explain it so you might understand. And you don’t have to forgive me now or ever. I just wanted to let you know that I’m sorry.”

Andy munched on her bacon as she listened to Pryce speak. She really hadn’t expected Pryce to apologize again. She thought Pryce would consider the apology she stumbled over last night to be enough.

But Pryce was actually trying to make amends, it seemed. Andy studied Pryce’s face to see if she was being genuine. Pryce kept her gaze on the ground, scuffing her feet on the carpet. She looked almost embarrassed, but more than that, she seemed nervous.

Andy wanted to keep being mad. She really, _really_ did. She wanted Pryce to feel bad for just a little bit longer about the things she said to Andy.

But Andy just couldn’t muster up the anger.

She sighed. “I forgive you.”

Pryce looked up, finally meeting Andy’s gaze. “Really?” She sounded uncertain, voice a little shaky, as if she thought Andy was kidding.

“Yeah.” She waved Pryce over to the bed. “Come have some bacon. I can’t eat all this by myself.”

If it was possible for Pryce’s face to get even redder, it did. “Oh. Okay.”

She sat on the edge of the bed. Andy offered her a piece of bacon and she took it. She gave Andy a small smile in thanks, and Andy’s stomach fluttered with butterflies.

She liked seeing Pryce smile.

The door swung open. “Hey girls,” Dice Critique said, swishing the iced coffee in his cup. “Hate to interrupt this gay moment, but I’m hosting a meeting in the V.I.P. lounge and I need you all to look decent in a couple hours. Andrea, you can help your friends get ready while I handle Poison Dart, can’t you?”

Andy sighed at the use of her full name. “Yeah, I got it.” This would not be the first time Dice invited her to a spontaneous V.I.P. event. She wasn’t prepared for it, but she didn’t have much of a choice.

Dice turned with a flourish and left the room. Pryce stared after him with wide eyes. “What was that about?”

“Remy’s family is weird.” Andy stood. “Come on, let’s find you something to wear.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *adds "Remus having a breakdown after being rescued from being kidnapped" to my list of oneshots to write for this AU*
> 
> i've got a long list of planned oneshots


	46. I Talk About Dolls With My New Therapist For A Long Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Virgil and Diana start getting the help they need.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is entirely self-indulgent. i just wanted Virgil to be able to talk about stuff he likes with someone who will listen while also starting to figure shit out. i really wanted him to have at least one therapy session before this fic is done so i'm sorry if this seems a little rushed!

The ride to the bank was relatively silent. Virgil and Diana had chosen to ride along with Janus and D.W., leaving Roman and Remus with Logan in his car. Virgil still couldn’t shake his concern for Remus, but he couldn’t think of much of anything to do about it.

Instead of focusing on something he had no control over, he tried to turn his thoughts to this therapist Janus had mentioned. Virgil was pretty sure that was the guy he’d heard in Janus’ office a couple days ago while Virgil was hiding out in the blanket fort. Judging by that alone, the guy seemed pretty nice. Still, the thought of talking to someone about this was nerve-wracking. He’d never been to therapy before. Sure, Mr. Minder occasionally talked to the kids about stuff that bothered them and offered ways to help, but he was just a school counselor, not a licensed therapist.

With all those thoughts in mind, the ride to the bank felt way too short. They got there way too soon, which meant Virgil would have to talk to this guy sooner, which could be disastrous. He wouldn’t know what to say or what to do. He needed time.

Diana must have sensed his anxiety, because she took his hand and squeezed it as they left the car. “We can do it together,” she said. “I don’t mind.”

Virgil searched her face for any hint of sarcasm or anything else that might indicate that she was joking or lying. He couldn’t find anything other than sincerity.

He nodded to show he understood. He and Diana walked behind Janus and D.W. towards the bank. Logan and the twins hurried after them. Virgil’s stomach turned with anxiety as they went into the bank and made their way to the first floor down. He couldn’t keep himself from chewing on his necklace. He didn’t know what this new person would be like.

He didn’t have to wait long to find out. As soon as they stepped out of the elevator, a black man in a beige suit walked up to them with a smile on his face. His hair hung in dozens of tiny braids, all dyed a bright pastel pink at the ends and pulled back into a ponytail behind his head. His eyes gleamed with excitement behind his glasses.

“Jannie, Dorothy!” he said. “I’ve been waiting for you. Do you how do?”

Janus stiffened as the man wrapped him in a hug. “Hello, Emile. I’m good.”

The man let go of Janus and wrapped his arms around D.W. She returned the hug with more enthusiasm than Janus had. “Hey, Picani. Good to see you.”

Janus gently nudged Virgil with his hand. “Kids, this is Dr. Picani-Chimera. He works at Chimera over in Sidehill.”

Dr. Picani stepped away from D.W. and turned to the kids. Virgil tensed, but Diana squeezed his hand to reassure him that everything was okay.

Dr. Picani smiled at them. “Do you how do, kiddos? I heard you’re all related to someone I know. Patton Hart is your father, correct?”

“He’s my uncle,” Diana said, “but yeah, he’s their dad.”

Virgil gave a reluctant wave. “Hi. I’m Virgil.”

“I know, Jan told me about you. I was told that two of you are looking for help. That’s you two, right?” he asked, gesturing to Diana and Virgil.

Virgil opened his mouth to say yes, but his ability to speak seemed to have abandoned him. He nodded instead.

“Well, I look forward to talking with you.” Dr. Picani looked up at Janus. “When should we discuss the... _other_ issues?”

“You can take maybe half an hour to sixty minutes with these two probably. I would say you could take more time, but considering the urgency of the situation with Ares Justice and the Poison Dart issue, I think we should get it done as soon as possible.” He set a hand on Virgil’s back. “That being said, you two can take all the time you need. There is no rush. The issue will still be here when you’re done and we’ll still have time.”

Virgil nodded again. “I’m ready when you are,” Diana said to Dr. Picani.

“Great. Jan, could we use your meeting room if no one’s in there?”

“Actually, I think a familiar setting might be better for them. You can use my office. The rest of us will go to the staff room.” He gave Virgil’s shoulder a squeeze. “You’re in good hands, Virgil. I would trust Emile with my life.”

Virgil relaxed a little. He trusted Janus—sort of—and Janus trusted Emile Picani. So maybe Virgil could give him a chance at least.

Janus stepped past Dr. Picani, guiding the twins along behind him. D.W. and Mr. Minder followed. D.W. gave Diana a thumbs up. Mr. Minder gave Virgil a smile. Roman waved at Virgil and Diana, but Remus just kept walking, tapping on his sketchbook. They disappeared down another hallway.

Dr. Picani motioned for Diana and Virgil to follow him. “I’ve heard great things about you two,” he said, practically skipping down the hallway toward Janus’s office. “Jan doesn’t often get to take care of kids, but out of the few that have ended up here, he’s said the most about you. It’s no surprise, really. You are Patton’s kids, and...” Dr. Picani slowed and leaned down to whisper. “Just between you and me, I think Janus had a bit of a soft spot for your father a decade ago.”

Virgil’s jaw nearly dropped. “Janus was in love with him?”

A mischievous grin spread across Dr. Picani’s his face. “Well, I’m not sure, but I wouldn’t be surprised if that was the case. It seems like just about everybody’s had a thing for your dad at one point or another! But don’t tell Janus I said that. It’s a bit of a secret. Besides, he’s over it now. Why, I think he loves Logan more than he loves gardening, and that’s saying something!” Dr. Picani’s face fell a little. “However... if things had turned out differently, perhaps you kids could have ended up Chimeras,” he muttered. “That would have made things complicated.”

Virgil and Diana exchanged a surprised glance. Janus? In love with Patton? Virgil couldn’t picture it.

Dr. Picani opened the door to D.W.’s office. They walked across it to get to Janus’s office, and Virgil relaxed a little now that the lights were dimmer.

“Nice pillow fort,” Dr. Picani commented as he skipped over to Janus’s desk. He skidded to a stop before he could get there, though. “Would you rather sit on the couch instead? I don’t want this to feel too formal if that’ll make you uncomfortable.”

“I’m okay with the desk,” Virgil mumbled.

“Alrighty.” Dr. Picani settled in Janus’s chair. “Oh, this is so much more comfy than the chair in my office.” He folded his hands on the desk and looked back and forth between the two of them with a smile. “So. First therapy session for both of you?”

Diana scratched the back of her neck as she and Virgil sat down. “Yeah. My parents never thought I needed it.”

“I couldn’t get it,” Virgil said, keeping his voice quiet. “I’m not legally Patton’s kid.”

“Ah, right. I knew he illegally adopted some kids. Now, before we start, I would like to preface this by saying anything that is said in this room stays in this room. You can talk about whatever you’d like, whether you’d like to launch directly into talking about things that are troubling you or if you’d just like to talk to me so we can get to know each other better first.” He rested his chin on his hand. “So. Would you like to speak first, or would you rather I start us off?”

Diana and Virgil glanced at each other. Neither of them really knew what to say.

“If you could start, that would be great,” Diana said to Dr. Picani.

“Alright. Since there are two of you, we might be hopping back and forth between topics a bit.” He reached into his suit jacket and brought out a notebook and a pen. He clicked the pen and pointed it at Diana. “You look less nervous. Do you mind if we start with you?”

“Not at all.”

Dr. Picani clicked his pen a couple times. “Why did you decide that now was the time to see a therapist?”

Diana folded her hands in her lap. “I’ve never been to one before. I’m pretty sure I’ve been needing one for a while. That and... my girlfriend is currently in a coma.” Her voice was quieter on that last part.

“Right, your girlfriend was hurt here a couple days ago. I’m aware of that situation. She means a lot to you, doesn’t she? How long have you been together?”

Diana shrugged. “About six months. She and my uncle Patton have been my only sources of support outside of my parents. I love my parents, don’t get me wrong, but my mom wants to control everything in my life. Even the college classes I was going to take this year were things that my mom wanted me to do. I don’t want to do what she wants. I want to do what I want. Jemma always encouraged me to do that.” Her face flushed with embarrassment. “Sorry. That was a bit of a rant.”

Dr. Picani smiled. “Miss Short, this is therapy. You can say whatever you want. Quick question: if you don’t want to follow the future your mom has planned out for you, what do you want to do? Have you given that any thought?”

Diana wrung her hands. “I’ve been thinking about this for a while, and I was thinking that maybe I could look into the kind of business that my mom used to be involved in.”

Confusion flashed across Dr. Picani’s face. “You... want to be involved in the criminal underworld?”

“Maybe. I haven’t decided yet. I’ve done some research on the dark web about some gangs and organizations involved in things I could help with, like getting people over borders. I wouldn’t just go off and start a solo career in crime. I know that I would need backup and support.” She furrowed her brow. “I’ve also been considering being a nurse.”

Dr. Picani blinked. “Those are two very different career options. Honestly, I could see you as either. However, you have to be aware of every part of this business. If you’re going to get paid for helping poor people cross borders to start better lives, you could also get paid for helping a man smuggle an underage woman into a country where it’s legal to marry a child. You would be hurting people as much as you’re helping others. Of course, that does depend on the organization you join, but the ones who get to be selective about their jobs are usually the ones that are much harder to join. Keep that in mind next time you go looking for gangs.”

Diana nodded slowly as she listened. “I will.”

“Why are you this interested in crime, anyway?”

“I don’t know. I guess all these people in gangs and organizations seem to be so close with each other. Mom said we have family in the business, and I want to meet them.”

Dr. Picani’s eyes lit up like he just had a realization. “You want that sense of belonging. Your family has never given you that, so you’re going to find a family that does.” He grinned. “Am I right?”

Diana’s eyes widened. “Oh my goodness, you’re completely right. Do all my abandonment issues stem from the fact that my parents never gave me what I needed to flourish in my environment?” She shook her head. “Well, that is quite the pickle that I am in, isn’t it?”

Dr. Picani chuckled at that. “Seems you’ve had a bit of a breakthrough. You think on that for a bit.” He scribbled something in his notebook and then pointed his pen at Virgil. “Mr. Hart, you want us to switch tracks onto the Virgil train?”

Virgil’s heart leaped into his throat. “Sure,” he blurted.

“Great. So, why did you decide now was the time to go into therapy?”

Virgil took a deep breath to calm himself as he searched his brain for a response. “It’s the first chance I’ve gotten for therapy,” he admitted. “Dad couldn’t get us into a real therapist because he’s not legally our dad, so we just got Mr. Minder as a counselor.”

“So you’ve known you needed therapy for a while?”

“I guess.”

“How did you know?”

Virgil blanked. What could he say? That he and his brothers were traumatized by the shit they went through in their foster homes? Would that be sharing too much information?

“You don’t have to talk about that if you don’t want to,” Dr. Picani offered. “We can just as easily talk about something else to get a conversation going.” He clicked his pen. “Let’s see... What are some of your interests?”

A thrill of excitement rose up in Virgil at the question. He had so many things he could talk about! He could talk about Monster High, Ever After High, his doll collection, cooking and baking, My Chemical Romance, anti-heroes in comic books—

He stifled his excitement before he could start flapping his hands. Dr. Picani would probably think it was weird.

“Therapy is a judgement free zone, Mr. Hart,” Dr. Picani reminded him. “Do or say whatever you want.”

Virgil bit his lip, trying his hardest to rein in the urge to move. Diana nudged him and gave him an encouraging smile, which made him feel a little better. He wiggled in his seat to let off some steam.

“I like collecting dolls,” he said finally, a little reluctant to share despite the fact that he really, really wanted to.

“What kinds of dolls?”

Virgil shrugged. “Monster High and Ever After High, mostly, but I’ve started getting into LOL Surprise.”

Dr. Picani’s eyes lit up. “Have you seen the Ever After High web series?”

Virgil nodded, a smile teasing at his face. “And all the movies.”

“Oh my goodness, the animation for the series is amazing. And the character design, too. Very underrated show.”

“I know!” Virgil said, bouncing in his seat. It took him a second to realize he’d spoken a little too loudly. He stopping bouncing and settled in his seat.

Dr. Picani’s didn’t seem to think it was weird. His smile only grew. “So what’s your favourite movie in the series?”

“I like Way Too Wonderland,” Virgil admitted. “Raven beating the hell out of Courtly Jester was pretty badass. I also liked Lizzie and her mom being reunited. That was sweet.”

“It really was. I loved Wonderland. I wished they’d gone back there for another episode at least.” Dr. Picani clicked his pen. “Out of curiosity, what did you think about the Dragon Games? It was a very plot-heavy season.”

Virgil thought about it. “I liked it,” he said. “It was fun, and I liked the dragons.”

“Mhm. Just out of curiosity, what did you think of Snow White and her interactions with Apple White?”

Virgil grimaced. “I didn’t like Snow. She was treated like this perfect queen, but she was a jerk to her daughter. She pressured Apple into trying to be better than Raven and lying to be more popular. She was kind of a shit mom, pardon my language.”

Dr. Picani nodded. He scribbled something in his notebook. “What about the Evil Queen? What did you think of her?”

“She was cool as a villain, but I didn’t like her as a mom. In the books, she turned her daughter’s puppy into a bone rat and scared her every night with stories about villains who hurt people. In Dragon Games, she forced Raven to be just like her. She said Raven didn’t have a choice about being evil, and then she attacked her. She’s a manipulative bastard—which I guess is normal for an evil queen, so I don’t know what else I expected.”

“Fair enough,” Dr. Picani said. “But at least they have parents. The one problem I always had with Monster High was that we never got to see their parents, even if their kids were in severe danger.”

“Yeah, Ever After High was definitely better in that sense,” Virgil said, twirling his necklace in his fingers. “At least we knew it was a boarding school and their parents couldn’t be around all the time.”

“Turning the subject to Monster High for a second, what did you think of Cleo’s father, Ramses?”

Virgil scoffed. “He was a jerk. Worst parent by far in both franchises. He constantly set his daughters against each other and criticized Cleo for everything she did, especially in Ghouls Rule. He had no problem with manipulating her into getting hitched with Pharaoh so he could have more power. He didn’t care that Cleo was miserable. He and Nefera lied and cheated to get what they wanted. Pharaoh’s mom wasn’t much better. She didn’t deserve that moment of redemption she got at the end.”

Dr. Picani hummed in response as he wrote something down. “Mr. Hart, can I just say that you remind me very much of Raven Queen?”

Virgil stared at Dr. Picani. He hadn’t expected that comment. “Is it the purple hair?”

Dr. Picani laughed. “Well, that could be part of it. But you seem to have a very clear image of the way you want things to be. You don’t like it when adults and the society they’ve made act unfair. I bet if you were destined to be a villain, you would have ripped your page out of the Storybook Of Legends just like Raven did—in the books, at least. Life hasn’t been fair to you, and you want to make it fair, both for you and for others that are suffering the same way you have.”

Virgil blinked. “You got all that from listening to me rant about adults in a doll franchise?”

Dr. Picani spread his hands. “I suppose I’m just a good therapist. Besides, the fictional characters people criticize, sympathize with, or relate to can give others an insight as to how the person feels. You’re a rebel at heart, Virgil, but I’m willing to bet that like Raven, you’re not sure how to make things fair for yourself without inconveniencing others, and that makes you uncertain. You sympathize with the people who have been beaten down by society because you are one of them. You’re not too fond of most adults you meet, are you?”

Virgil shrugged, still a little surprised. This guy had managed to completely understand his thought process just by having him talk about characters in a show. He was good at his job.

“It takes you a while to trust most adults, but you did say that you enjoyed Lizzie’s reunion with her mom. Why is that?”

“She has a mom that’s not a jerk,” Virgil said. “I’m glad she has that.”

“Because you never had that?”

“I guess.”

Dr. Picani tapped his pen on his notebook. “Now, here’s a character I want your opinion on: Maddie’s father, the Mad Hatter. What did you think of him?”

“I thought he was really fun. He was great with his kid, too. Probably the best parent in the series.”

“He reminds you of your father, doesn’t he?”

Virgil paused. Dr. Picani was right. The Mad Hatter was oddly similar to Patton: fun, carefree, kind and loving, generally a good dad and a good person.

“Oh my God, you’re right,” Virgil whispered.

Emile grinned. He opened his mouth to say something else, but he was interrupted when the door swung open. Virgil twisted around in his seat to see who had come in. Janus stood in the doorway, his phone in his hand.

“We can continue these conversations in our next session,” Dr. Picani said. “Janus, what’s wrong?”

Janus held up his phone. “Something just happened. We need damage control, _now_.”


	47. I Have An Identity Crisis Over An Outfit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Patton is faced with a choice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> alternate summary: Dice is gay as fuck and gives Patton a makeover
> 
> i had so much fun writing this chapter and i'm so excited for these last ten chapters, shit goes DOWN
> 
> also i extended it to 58 chapters because i have a couple of scrapped scenes i might want to throw in here, including the original version of Virgil's motherly scolding before i edited the shit out of it.

When Patton woke up, it took him a moment to remember where he was. He resisted the urge to curse under his breath. He’d nearly forgotten that he was in the Critic House again.

He shifted in bed but stopped when Remy squirmed and wrapped his arms around Patton tighter. Remy had been asleep already when Patton went to bed, but as soon as Patton lied down, Remy had latched onto him and wouldn’t let him go. It seemed as though Remy wouldn’t let go until he was awake.

Luckily, Patton wasn’t too eager to leave the room anyway. He relaxed in Remy’s arms and shut his eyes again, falling back into a sort of half-sleep.

The door slammed open. “Wake up, bitches!”

Remy groaned. “I swear to god, Dice, I will murder you.”

Dice strode into the room and smiled down at Patton and Remy. “Aww, you two are cute. But I need you to get up. It’s ten o’clock and I’m holding a meeting in the V.I.P. lounge. We’re going to have guests. You both need to look presentable.”

Remy narrowed his eyes. “Why do you have to drag us to your meeting?”

“Because you’re very important people, hon. Important to me, at least. All your little friends are welcome to come, too. Andy’s been to a few, I’m sure she can help that gay boy and her bi friend get ready. She can help you too, Rem.” Dice booped Patton on the nose. “You are going to get ready with me.”

“We haven’t even had breakfast yet,” Patton complained. He almost wished he’d never come back to the Critic House, despite its safety. Dice could be nearly unbearable sometimes.

“It’s fine, there will be food there. I thought I would let you two sleep in until ten at least. Andy’s been trying to find something for her bounty hunter friend to wear for the past half hour.” Dice sipped at the iced coffee in his hand. “Remy, you can go join the rest of your friends. I’ll be handling Poison here.”

Remy furrowed his brow. “Are you sure?”

“Yes, bitch. Don’t worry, he’s in good hands.”

Remy looked uncertain, but he sat up. He slid out from under the covers. Patton noticed that Remy was still wearing the shirt he’d lent him, the one with the cartoon cat on the front. The collar slipped off Remy’s shoulder as he stood. Patton’s face heated up when he saw the fabric slip past Remy’s collarbones.

Remy shuffled off to the door. “You gonna be okay, Pat?” he asked.

Patton sat up. “Yeah. I’m good.”

Remy still looked a little uncertain, but he left the room. Dice nudged the door shut behind him. “Have you told him yet?” Dice asked.

“No. I kissed him on the cheek yesterday, but I don’t think he’s realized I like him yet.”

Dice barked out a laugh. “Oh, he is such an oblivious disaster. Love him, though. He’s just a little stupid.”

“Do I have to get dressed up for this again?” Patton asked.

“If you want to, but I won’t make you,” Dice said. “I just think it would be a good way to show that no one can mess with you as long as you’re with me. It might help keep you safer, darling.” Dice shrugged. “And while we’re there, you could always come out of hiding. Let everyone know exactly who they’re dealing with.”

Patton grimaced. He hated that Dice had a point. Going with Dice to some public event would further secure his safety as long as he was here. As for that last part...

“I don’t know if I’m ready,” Patton whispered.

Dice held out a hand. Patton took it and hauled himself to his feet. He tugged Patton towards the walk in closet. “We’ll see. Come on, darling.”

Patton followed. Dice opened the closet and turned the light on. Most of the hangers on the rungs were empty, but a few were occupied. Most held pyjamas and jackets and a few shirts, the majority of which were made of fabric that faded from orange to blue and decorated with black whorls.

“I found your old suit when I went through your closet a while ago,” Dice said. He walked all the way to the end of the room and plucked a hanger off the rung.

Hanging from it was a three piece suit. The collar of the suit had the same blue to orange gradient as the rest of the clothes, as did the tie draped around the shoulders of the hanger and the waistcoat under the jacket. The cufflinks gleamed a metallic blue.

“However,” Dice said, reaching across to the other length of the closet, “I also found an old suit of mine you could wear instead.” He lifted a hanger off the rung and held up a simple black suit. “Your choice, Poison... or, Patton. Whichever you prefer.”

Patton glanced back and forth between the suits. Dice was giving him a choice. He could present himself as Patton, the unfair target of a large bounty who just happened to be close friends with the Critic. Or he could present himself as Poison Dart, finally announcing to the world that he’s alive, and sending a silent message to everyone who wanted to go after him: _I’ve killed dozens before you, and I could kill you too._

“Who do you want to be, darling?” Dice asked. “I won’t judge you no matter what you choose. But just know that I wouldn’t be calling you Poison if I didn’t believe Poison Dart was still in there somewhere. However, I’ve seen the way you are with Remy. I can’t imagine Poison Dart caring for someone so much.” Dice raised an eyebrow. “It’s your choice, hon.”

Patton scratched at his shoulder through his shirt. He couldn’t decide. Not now. “Can I try them both?”

Dice gave him a sympathetic smile and handed both suits to Patton. “You try them on. I need to go get changed.”

Dice brushed past him to leave the room. Patton took a deep breath. He hung up his own suit and looked over the old one that used to belong to Dice. He would try this one on first.

He took off his t-shirt and started putting on the suit. The shirt was a little small since Dice was much shorter than Patton. The pants were a bit too short, and he couldn’t quite button up the jacket without it feeling off. Patton looked in the mirror in the closet. He shifted, a little uncomfortable, and it was obvious just by looking at himself that this was not his own suit. He looked every bit like a nervous target of a bounty hunt, someone who had been pulled out of their life to run from someone dangerous he wasn’t prepared to face. He looked exactly like Patton Hart, or who he thought Patton Hart was supposed to be.

He shot a glance at the other suit. He was tempted to just stick with this one, but he didn’t want to make a decision before he tested all his options.

He took off the suit and hung it back up. He stood in front of his own suit, the one he used to wear as Poison Dart when he went to public events. Dice had said his own suit was old, but Patton’s hadn’t been worn in ten years.

Still, he took the pieces off the hanger and put them on. The shirt was a little snug, but it fit better than Dice’s. The waistcoat hugged his frame perfectly. The jacket always used to be a bit loose, but now it fit just right. The pants still fit, too. The orange and blue belt was fitted with a gun holster, an ammunition pouch, and a knife sheath, all three of which were currently empty. The dress shoes were a little worn, but they were comfortable, easy to run in if he had to. He’d thought the suit would be worn from age, but judging from the tightly sewn seams, Dice had either kept it taken care of or had someone else fix it up a while ago.

He looked in the mirror. Feeling the familiar fabric on his shoulders, he automatically straightened his back and wiped his face of any emotion that wasn’t anger or annoyance. His shoulders relaxed but the rest of him remained slightly tensed, ready to fight anyone who came running at him. He wore the suit like a second skin. If he changed his hairstyle and covered the lower half of his face, he wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between himself as he was now and who he was ten years ago.

Patton turned away from the mirror. The familiarity was both comforting and terrifying. He wanted something familiar, something to help him feel braver through all this, but he didn’t want it to be this. He didn’t want to be Poison Dart. That was why he left this business in the first place.

Patton glanced back at the other suit, then at his reflection.

He opened the closet door just as Dice walked back into the room. “Do you think it looks okay?” he asked, a little hesitant.

Dice gave Patton a once over. “It still fits,” he said. He strode over to Patton, fixing his own suit and tie that he’d put on. He gave Patton a smile, but Patton couldn’t tell whether it was sad or sympathetic or something else entirely.

He fixed Patton’s blue cufflinks, straightened the waistcoat, folded the blue and orange collar—Dice was a perfectionist when it came to clothing. He smoothed down the jacket, but his hands lingered over the blue and orange tie.

“You don’t look entirely comfortable, darling,” he said quietly. He lowered his sunglasses to give Patton a questioning look. “You’re still unsure.”

Patton hated to admit that Dice was right. He wanted to come out of the shadows, but his stomach tied itself into knots and butterflies fluttered in his gut and this suit was meant for Poison Dart and _Patton did not feel like Poison Dart_.

Not yet, anyway.

Dice reached into his suit pocket. “Here, this might help. Or make it worse. Who knows?”

He pulled a silver necklace out of his pocket. He walked behind Patton and latched it behind his neck.

“There.” He smoothed out Patton’s suit. “Better?”

Patton looked down and his breath caught in his throat. “I thought I lost this,” he muttered, running his thumb over the pendant. It was a silver heart shaped locket engraved with the initials P.J.

“You lost everything here, dear, it’s no surprise. I’ve been waiting to give it back to you.” Dice huffed. “Well, it does clash horribly with the suit, but then again, this whole blue and orange colour scheme is not working for me anyway. Hon, did you never think this through before you had everything done in these colours?”

Patton couldn’t hold back a smile. “I was eighteen. Give me a break. I thought it looked cool.”

Dice chuckled. “Well, too late to rebrand, I suppose.” He reached up and ran his fingers through Patton’s hair. “What do you want to do with this mess? I could always cut it. It’s gotten long.”

Patton bit his lip. Well, his hair was a little annoying to manage. It couldn’t hurt to chop some of it off.

“Just don’t give me a mohawk or something, okay?” Patton said.

“Don’t worry hon, I know you would not be able to pull off a mohawk,” Dice said as he pulled Patton to the bathroom. “Now an undercut on the other hand...”

Dice sat Patton on the edge of the bathtub. Patton waited as Dice bustled about the bathroom, grabbing scissors and clippers and spray bottles. “Turn around, darling. There’s not a chair in here, so we have to make do.”

Patton turned so he was facing the wall. Dice combed through his curls, occasionally pausing to spray it with water. Patton took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. He was going out in public as Poison Dart for the first time in ten years. He still didn’t know if he was ready for that—the backlash, the fear, the anger he would face from everyone. He didn’t trust himself to be able to handle that.

His thoughts were interrupted by the buzzing of a hair clipper. He tensed as he felt Dice clip the hair at the nape of his neck.

“Don’t move, Poison, you’ll make me mess up,” Dice said. “Wouldn’t want you going out there with a bald spot, would we?”

Patton stayed still as Dice clipped through the hair further up on Patton’s head. After a few minutes of that loud buzzing in Patton’s ears, Dice shut off the clipper and set it aside. He teased the curls on top of Patton’s head with his fingers. He muttered under his breath and started combing it again. Patton heard the snipping of scissors right behind his head.

“You really did let this grow out of hand, darling,” Dice mumbled. “It’s an absolute mess.”

“I haven’t had much time to get it cut,” Patton said.

“Oh hush. I know you have kids and all, but I’m sure you could have made time to get some of it chopped.”

After a few more minutes of snipping and trimming, Dice stepped back and swept the hair off Patton’s clothes. “Not my best work, but certainly not my worst. You look good, darling. Let me just...” He combed Patton’s hair back and hummed thoughtfully. “No, hang on.” He pushed Patton’s hair forward, letting some of it fall in his eyes. “Yeah, that’s cuter. You used to keep your hair in an undercut like this, but you always combed it back. Why did you never keep it forward? Your curls look adorable.”

“I wasn’t trying to look adorable, I was trying to kill people,” Patton said.

“Fair enough.” Dice stepped back. “I’ll get someone to sweep up all this hair while we’re out. Stand up, hon, come look in the mirror.”

Patton turned around and stood. He stared into the mirror and inhaled sharply. He looked even more like his old self than he had before. With the suit and the hair, there was no doubt that everyone would recognize him as the old Poison Dart, even with his glasses. He didn’t quite feel like Poison Dart, but he sure looked the part. Stoic, tense, maybe a little dangerous. And oddly enough, that made him feel a bit confident. No one would ever come after him again if he went out like this.

“You’ll certainly make an impression,” Dice said, walking up next to Patton. “Are you ready, darling?”

Patton steeled his nerves. “I think so.”

Dice took Patton’s shoulders and turned him so they were face to face. Dice straightened Patton’s collar again, tied the tie a little tighter, and brushed a stray piece of hair off the shoulder of the jacket. Dice’s sunglasses were lowered a little, just enough for his bright blue eyes to peek out over the frames. His gaze flitted over Patton’s face.

“You look hot,” Dice said, hands still on the collar of Patton’s suit. “Sexy, even, if I’m being honest.”

Patton blinked as he processed that. “Dice, is there something you want to say?”

Dice smiled a little, but it wasn’t his usual cocky smirk. It was softer, warmer than usual. “There’s nothing I can say,” Dice said, his voice quiet.

He stood on his tiptoes and gently pulled Patton down by his jacket. He planted a gentle kiss on Patton’s cheek. Patton shivered as his breath fanned over Patton’s skin.

Dice pulled away. “I’m glad we’re friends, Patton,” he said. “And I’m content with just being that.”

Before Patton really had a chance to fully process what just happened, Dice let go of his jacket and walked back into the bedroom. “Where did you leave your gun, baby? You should probably have it with you in case things go south.”

Patton walked over to the bag he’d set on the floor next to the bed. He flipped it open. He hesitated, still a little unsure about whether or not he wanted to go out there like this.

But Dice had a point. Things could easily go bad. He grabbed the gun from the bag and tucked it into the empty holster at his belt. He slid the knife into the sheath on his right hip. He also tucked the spare ammunition into the pouch next to the gun. It couldn’t hurt to be prepared.

Dice walked up to Patton and linked their arms together. “Now let’s go see my cousin. I’m sure he’ll have a heart attack when he sees you in a suit.” Dice nudged the door open and led Patton out into the hallway.

“Andy, hon, are you all finished getting ready?” Dice called.

“Just about,” Andy shouted from inside a room. “Dammit, Princey, just let me tie this.”

“I’m sorry, I’ve never worn a tie before,” Pryce’s voice said. “How does it work?”

“Andy, where’s Remy?” Dice asked.

“Getting ready in Thomas’ room,” Andy answered. The door swung open and she stepped out. She smoothed down the waistcoat over her dress shirt. A black brooch was pinned to her tie, and the heeled boots under her dress pants brought her height up taller than Dice. She looked Patton up and down. “Nice hair,” she commented.

Pryce appeared in the doorway behind Andy, her cheeks as red as her hair, which had been pinned back from her face. She wore a sleeveless button up shirt and a pencil skirt over a pair of tights. A golden necklace laid over her black tie.

“I don’t usually go to important crime meetings,” she said, fiddling with the necklace. “Is there some sort of etiquette I have to follow?”

Andy looped her arm with Pryce’s. “You’ll be fine, Princey. You just have to sit there and look pretty.”

Pryce’s entire face turned red. She turned away from Andy and coughed into her fist in an attempt to hide her blush.

A door near the end of the hallway opened. Thomas stepped out, frantically fixing his hair with his one good arm, the other tucked in its sling. “It’s been ages since I’ve been to an important meeting. Do I look okay?”

“You look gorgeous, darling,” Dice said, looking over Thomas’s dress shirt and pants. “Your tie is a little crooked, though. Did Remy find the suit I left for him?”

“Unfortunately,” Remy grumbled as he stepped out of the room. “God, I look like a...”

His voice trailed off when he looked at Patton. Patton tried to speak, but the breath had been snatched from his lungs. Remy wore one of Dice’s old three piece suits. It fit him perfectly, hugging every curve like it had been tailored specifically for him. He’d combed through his hair, but one stubborn lock of it still fell in his eyes. His heeled combat boots made him look just a bit taller.

“You look... nice,” Patton finally made himself say.

Remy opened his mouth and closed it, like he didn’t know what to say. He managed a strangled squeaking noise.

“Come on, darlings, we should get going,” Dice said. “I’m sure Sidehill’s biggest criminals are all dying to see us.” He checked his watch. “We’ll be fashionably late, but I’m the host so it’s fine.”

Dice led Patton out of the hallway towards the elevator, finally tearing Patton’s gaze away from Remy. What was it about suits that just made guys—specifically Remy—so much hotter?

They paused in front of the elevator. Dice pressed the button. Patton’s thoughts turned to the fact that he was about to go out there in front of people as Poison Dart. His stomach flipped with anxiety.

“You’ll be alright, hon,” Dice said quietly. “I’ll be with you the whole time.”

Patton nodded. The elevator doors opened. Dice and Patton stepped inside. Andy, Pryce, Thomas, and Remy followed. Remy still couldn’t seem to take his eyes off Patton. Thomas winced every few seconds and gingerly touched the bandages around his arm. Andy and Pryce stood with their arms linked together, shooting the occasional glance at each other out of the corners of their eyes.

Nervous butterflies fluttered in Patton’s stomach as the elevator went down. There was no turning back now. As soon as those doors opened, everyone was going to know he was Poison Dart. Everyone was going to know he was still alive.

“You’ll be fine, hon,” Dice whispered. “Don’t worry about a thing.”

The elevator slowed to a stop. Patton wiped his face clean of emotion and watched the doors slide open.

He took a deep breath and stepped out of the elevator.

**Author's Note:**

> this is my first Sanders Sides fic, so feedback would be appreciated!


End file.
